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Monthly Digest
November -2020
Banking & Financial Awareness
1.
1. RBL Bank has launched instant payouts for fintech
firms by partnering with payments giant VISA.
Note: India-based private sector lender RBL Bank
has launched instant payouts for fintech firms by
partnering with payments giant Visa. Under this
partnership, the bank will leverage Visa’s real-time
push payments platform Visa Direct, across the
country. It will allow RBL Bank to create technology-
led banking solutions catering to the growing needs
of merchants and partners. Further, this will enable
fintech firms to create digital payment solutions for
the end customer.
2. Multinational company Procter & Gamble has
announced a growth fund of Rs 400 crore to give a
hand to the government’s vision of a self-reliant
country. ``
Note: The fund would be utilised to localise
manufacturing of finished products, procurement of
raw materials and packaging materials and to adopt
go-to-market innovations and technology. This new
fund is part of P&G India’s ‘vGROW’ program that
focuses on identifying and collaborating with start-
ups, small businesses, individuals or large
organisations offering innovative industry-leading
solutions.
3. The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) signed a
contract worth Rs 400 crore with Tech Mahindra for
implementation of enterprise resource planning
(ERP) to support its project Parivartan.
Note: As a system integrator, Tech Mahindra will
implement project Parivartan over a period of nine
years at a cost of Rs 400 crore. Project Parivartan is
a comprehensive business transformation exercise
initiated by HAL through technology enhancement
and centralised ERP.
4. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed
monetary penalty on DCB Bank and Jio Payments
Bank for various rule violations.
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed
monetary penalty on DCB Bank and Jio Payments
Bank for various rule violations. The central bank has
imposed a penalty of Rs 22 lakh on DCB Bank for
non-compliance with certain provisions on
marketing/distribution of mutual fund/insurance etc.
The penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers
vested in RBI under the provisions of Section
47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949.
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5. ICICI Lombard General Insurance in
partnership with Freepaycard has launched Group
Safeguard Insurance.
Note: This strategic partnership will make the bite-
sized health insurance solutions, designed specifically
for Freepaycardmembers, available at its multi-
category partner retail outlets. Freepaycard members
can add these health solutions on the go while
shopping for other essential goods or services. The
plan will be offered to the members of Freepaycard,
allowing them to receive an assured amount in case
of any injury or hospitalization for treatment.
6. With TransUnion CIBIL the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation launched the MSME
Credit Health Index to provide a measure of the
growth and strength of the MSME sector in India.
Note: The TransUnion CIBIL and the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation launched
the MSME Credit Health Index to provide a measure
of the growth and strength of the MSME sector in
India. The index provides a numeric indicator for
benchmarking the health of the MSME sector to the
policy makers, lenders and MSME market
participants.
7. In a bid to develop skill sets of career-oriented
individuals State Bank of India entered into a
strategic partnership with edX to expand the
learners’ perspectives and access to knowledge
beyond the classrooms.
Note: As part of this partnership, SBI will offer its
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the edX
platform (edx.org.) from November 2020. With this
partnership, SBI becomes 1st Corporate Partner of
edX from India. SBI, initially will offer 3 courses,
namely Unleashing Creativity at the Workplace,
Relationship Marketing Strategy for Financial
Services, and Conflict Resolution.
8. Aegon Life Insurance Company life insurance
company launched ‘Life + 36 critical illness
Insurance’ on Flipkart
Note: This plan offers a comprehensive insurance
cover against COVID-19, which can be availed
immediately on the Flipkart app with a basic life
insurance plan. This insurance ensures that the
policyholders are protected against most lifestyle
diseases along with a life cover to ease the financial
burden. The starting premium of the plan is Rs 153
for a life cover of Rs 1 lakh plus Critical Illness cover
of Rs.10,000.
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9. HDFC Bank has been voted as the “Most
Outstanding Company – Financial Sector” in India in
the poll conducted by Asiamoney.
Note: HDFC Bank Limited has been voted as the
“Most Outstanding Company – Financial Sector” in
India in the poll conducted by Asiamoney, a well-
established financial publication. HDFC has been
given the honour for the 2nd consecutive year.
Bharti Airtel won the overall winner by Market in
India.
10. The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
approved the acquisition of General Insurance
Business of Bharti AXA General Insurance Company
Limited by ICICI Lombard General Insurance
Company Ltd.
Note: As per the proposed combination, the whole
general insurance business of Bharti AXA will be
transferred to ICICI Lombard by way of demerger,
considering that ICICI Lombard will issue shares to
Bharti AXA. The combined entity(proposed merged
non-life insurance company) is likely to have a
market share of 8.7% on a pro forma basis.
11. Asian Development Bank has approved USD
132.8 million loan to Meghalaya, to improve and
upgrade the power distribution network in the state
Note: The fund will help in improving the distribution
system & financial sustainability of the Meghalaya
Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL).
The MePDCL has a huge outstanding against the
power purchased from central power generating
stations and to the Power Grid Corporation of India
Limited (PGCIL). The loan will support in clearing the
power outstanding dues.
12. Adani Gas has acquired the city gas licences for
Ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab and Kutch (East)
in Gujarat from Jay Madhok Energy.
Note: The license was acquired from Jay Madhok
Energy. These agencies are operating under Phase 1
of Bharat Mala Pariyojana by NHAI. Jay Madhok
Energy has been show-caused by the oil regulator
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(PNGRB) over defaulting on timelines and alleged
irregularities in acquisition of the city gas licence.
13. Visa in partnership with DigitSecure and HDFC
Bank deployed the world’s 1st live PCI certified Tap
to Phone card acceptance solution.
Note: The objective is to accept safe contactless
card payments in seconds through an app on their
Near-Field Communication(NFC)-enabled Android
smartphones, without the need of any dedicated card
acceptance machines. The first merchant to go live
with HDFC Bank as the acquirer is DeliveryPlus. In
line with the ‘Made in India’ objective of local
innovation, DigitSecure is the first Asia Pacific-based
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company to acquire PCI security certification to
implement Tap to Phone technology.
14. AU Small Finance Bank signed an agreement
with Care Health Insurance Company Limited as
Corporate Agent for Health Insurance Products.
Note: Care Health Insurance is formerly known as
‘Religare Health Insurance Company Limited. The
Bank has been issued certificate of registration
CA0515 under Registration of Corporate Agents –
Regulations, 2015 by Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Bank
has entered into agreement with Care Health
Insurance Company. In terms of business, market
penetration and reach, this partnership will be
mutually beneficial for the bank and insurance
company.
15. ICICI Bank has launched launches ‘Mine’ a
comprehensive banking programme for its millennial
customers .
Note: Private lender ICICI Bank has launched a
comprehensive banking programme for its millennial
customers, (in the age bracket of 18 years to 35
years ), called ‘ICICI Bank Mine’. The ‘ICICI Bank
Mine’ is India’s first and unique product launched by
the bank to offer a mobile-first, highly personalised
and experiential led banking experience to the
millennial customers.
16. TransUnion CIBIL has partnered with the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI) to launch the First Edition of the Quarterly
MSME Credit Health Index.
Note: The index will provide a reliable measure and
benchmark of the growth and strength of MSME
(Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) in India. To
provide Government, Policy makers, lenders and
other stakeholders, insights and analysis on various
aspects of the health of MSME industry to enable
better policy with respect to MSME lending. The
comprehensive information will facilitate better risk
management and inclusion of MSME in Indian
Banking and financial system.
17. SBI Card.partnered with Paytm and Visa to
launch contactless co-branded credit cards, India’s
next generation credit cards.
Note: The credit card will be available in two
variants, namely, Paytm SBI Card and Paytm SBI
Card SELECT. The 2 variants have been designed for
the new age, digitally savvy customers. The product
has been launched on the Visa platform. The aim of
the Partnership is to bring in ‘new to credit’ users
into the formal economy and empower them to
control their finances.
18. India-based fuel outlet Bharat Petroleum (BPCL)
has partnered with Fino Payments Bank for
recharging truck drivers’ fleet cards
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Note: India-based fuel outlet Bharat Petroleum
(BPCL) has partnered with Fino Payments Bank for
recharging truck drivers’ fleet cards. Through this
partnership, truck drivers in the country can now
recharge their BPCL Smartfleet Cards, which are
used for fuel payments.
19. WhatsApp has introduced payments services in
India following approval by the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI)
Note: The NPCI approval also follows another recent
direction imposing a cap of 30% of the total volume
of transactions processed in Unified Payments
Interface (UPI), applicable to all third-party app
providers, effective from 1st January 2021.
WhatsApp would now compete with existing players
such as Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and
PhonePe.
20. Facebook has rolled out an offline to online
small and medium businesses guide and other new
resources to help small and medium businesses
Note: This will help them move from offline to social
network-owned online platforms. It is a step-by-step
manual on how firms can build a digital presence and
reach potential customers on social media. The
accelerated digital adoption as a result of the
pandemic has made it critical for small businesses to
pivot from offline to online.
21. Social media platform WhatsApp has introduced
payments services in India following approval by the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Note: The NPCI approval also follows another recent
direction imposing a cap of 30% of the total volume
of transactions processed in Unified Payments
Interface (UPI), applicable to all third-party app
providers, effective from 1st January 2021.
WhatsApp would now compete with existing players
such as Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and
PhonePe.
22. Social media platform Facebook has rolled out an
offline to online small and medium businesses guide
and other new resources to help small and medium
businesses.
Note: This will help them move from offline to social
network-owned online platforms. It is a step-by-step
manual on how firms can build a digital presence and
reach potential customers on social media. The
accelerated digital adoption as a result of the
pandemic has made it critical for small businesses to
pivot from offline to online.
23. The Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has enhanced the foreign investment limit for
mutual funds from $300 million to $600 million.
Note: The regulator’s move comes after a recent
surge in interest in overseas investments by Indian
investors. It also said that mutual funds can make
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investments in overseas Exchange Traded Fund
(ETFs) subject to a maximum of $200 million per
mutual fund, compared to $50 million earlier, while
maintaining the overall industry limit at $1 billion.
24. According to a recent report of the RBI, Uttar
Pradesh has been ranked amongst the top five states
of the country which provide employment under the
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) during
Covid-19 pandemic.
Note: The top 5 ranks have been taken by Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar
Pradesh. UP has secured the place ahead of
Karnataka, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Telangana in
the list of top 10 states. UP Government has
successfully managed the return of 40 Lakh Migrants
from all over the country and provided them
employment opportunities also.
25. In accordance with the vision of the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) ICICI Bank has
launched a new indigenous RuPay debit card-
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC).
Note: This card is the bank’s 1st ever contactless
debit Card. The card is an international Contact-less,
debit cum prepaid and interoperable transport card,
a ‘One Nation One Card i.e., a card with many
benefits’. Payments can be made without the need to
insert the card at PoS(Point of Sale) terminals, i.e., a
contactless payment(Tap & Go).
26. Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)
has become the first foreign SWF that has been
granted 100% income-tax exemption on income
from interest, dividend and long-term capital gains
for its investment in India’s priority sector as per the
Finance Act, 2020.
Note: Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) -
MIC Redwood 1 RSC Limited - has become the first
foreign SWF that has been notified and granted
100% income-tax exemption for the long-term
investments to be made in the specified priority
sectors in India. This decision is on the lines of July
6, 2020 government notification regarding to
broaden the scope of this exemption and to expedite
foreign investment in the country’s priority areas
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
27. India-based fuel outlet Bharat Petroleum (BPCL)
has partnered with Fino Payments Bank for
recharging truck drivers’ fleet cards.
Note: India-based fuel outlet Bharat Petroleum
(BPCL) has partnered with Fino Payments Bank for
recharging truck drivers’ fleet cards. Through this
partnership, truck drivers in the country can now
recharge their BPCL Smartfleet Cards, which are
used for fuel payments.
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28. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance Company
Limited has launched, ‘Covid Shield+’, India’s First
Individual Covid-19 Life Insurance Policy.
Note: The comprehensive solution provides financial
protection against the impact of COVID-19 diagnosis.
Covid Shield+ establishes a new niche product
category for the industry, that meets the increased
protection needs of the people, that arises due to
pandemic. The cost effective product requires no
medical examination and provides instant decisioning
to the policy applicant.
29. Mobikwik partnered with American Express to
launch its first ever digital prepaid Card.
Note: It is the 1st card for millennial users. It is the
1st first prepaid payments card of Amex with a
flexible credit limit. With this launch, MobiKwik
becomes the first non-bank Indian company to
become a member of the American Express network
and issue Cards in India. MobiKwik, which has more
than 120 million users of its wallet, aims to issue
MobiKwik Blue American Express Card to at least one
million users over the next one year.
30. Tata Consultancy Services has signed an
agreement with Deutsche Bank AG, under which TCS
will acquire a 100% of the shares of Postbank
Systems AG(PBS) from Deutsche Bank AG.
Note: PBS is the IT (Information and Technology)
service provider of Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank is
an existing IT services partner of TCS. Both the
parties intend to finalize the further agreements in
relation to the transaction by end of 2020. The
Transaction is subject to customary regulatory and
governmental approvals.
31. Paytm has launched “Payout Links” for
businesses, enabling them to instantly process
payouts to customers, employees and vendors,
without collecting their bank details.
Note: It is aimed at helping small businesses in
sectors like gaming, retail, export, manufacturing
and e-commerce. Payout Links will allow businesses
to send ‘incentives’ or refunds to the customers’
bank accounts or wallet accounts. It can be used for
salary payments, vendor payments, commissions
and incentive transfers to be done instantly.
32. As per the ‘Operation Green’ announced by the
central government 50 per cent of subsidy will be
provided to the Himalayan and North-Eastern states
for air transportation of fruits and vegetables.
Note: Under the scheme, the airlines will provide
direct air transport subsidy to the supplier,
consignor, consignee or agent by charging only 50
percent of the actual contracted freight charges. The
balance 50 percent will be claimed by the airlines as
subsidy from the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries.
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33. India Post Payments Bank has launched the
initiative of doorstep service for submission of Digital
Life Certificate through Postman.
Note: This facility will enable pensioners to submit
their life certificates from the comfort of their home.
India Post Payments Bank, IPPB of department of
posts & ministry of electronics & information
technology (MeitY) have successfully launched the
initiative of the department of pension & pensioners’
welfare (DoPPW)
34. Paytm Payments Bank has launched “Payout
Links” for businesses.
Note: It is aimed at helping small businesses in
sectors like gaming, retail, export, manufacturing
and e-commerce. Payout Links will allow businesses
to send ‘incentives’ or refunds to the customers’
bank accounts or wallet accounts.
35. HDFC Bank in Partnership with Visa launched
‘SmartHub Merchant Solutions 3.0’, India’s first
comprehensive banking and payment solution for
merchants.
Note: This first-of-its-kind solution offers the ideal
platform for merchants and self-employed
professionals to open a current account instantly and
to accept payments in-store and online. The
comprehensive merchant solution enables the bank
to approach over 20 million small & medium
merchants and professional services like doctors,
pharmacies, salons and laundry services across
metro, semi urban and rural India in the next 3
years.
36. Tata AIA Life Insurance insurance company
has entered into a partnership with PayBima to
distribute its industry-leading life insurance solutions.
Note: The association is in accordance with the
mission of Tata AIA Life to provide Ease of Doing
Business (EoDB) to its customers. PayBima is the
digital arm of Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd.
(MIBL). As part of the agreement, PayBima on its
platform will offer the life Insurance solutions of Tata
AIA Life.
37. Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM) signed an agreement with
world organization World Bank for providing
advisory services for asset monetization.
Note: Under the agreement, the World Bank will
provide advisory services on asset monetization.
Asset Monetisation is creating new sources of
revenue by unlocking underutilized or untilized public
assets. DIPAM is to facilitate monetization of non-
core assets and enemy property of Rs 100 crores.
38. Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) gave its final approval for
the merger of HDFC ERGO Health Insurance with
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which general insurance companies HDFC ERGO
General Insurance Co Ltd.
Note: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
has sanctioned the scheme of amalgamation
between HDFC ERGO Health and HDFC ERGO
General on september 30, 2020. After the merger,
the new entity will be the second-largest private
insurer in the health and accident segment in India.
39. SBM Bank has partnered with Fintech
PayNearby to launch a neo banking platform.
Note: The bank is also looking at collaborative
banking in other segments and where companies
may have access to a large number of customers but
does not have a banking license. SBM Bank focuses
on to provide top of the line services to the wealthy
and growing affluent in India and their counterparts
will be NRIs with relations in India.
40. Digital lending platform Stashfin has partnered
with Visa to launch co-branded prepaid cards with
credit lines.
Note: Targeted Customer– Millennials who are just
beginning their careers or are still in the early stages
and prefer not to deal with hindrances of borrowing
from a traditional banking institution. With this
launch, Stashfin aims to tap into customers looking
for festive shopping discounts, helping them convert
their purchases into easy EMIs(Equated Monthly
Installments) using their credit line cards.
41. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a
penalty of Rs 1 crore on Punjab National Bank for
violating the Payment and Settlement Systems Act,
2007.
Note: Punjab National Bank was operating a bilateral
ATM-sharing arrangement with Druk PNB Bank Ltd.,
Bhutan, since April 2010 without prior approval or
authorisation from India’s banking regulator. RBI
imposed the Rs 1 crore penalty for “contravention of
nature referred to in Section 26 (6) of the Payment
and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act).”
42. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) placed the
Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) under moratorium for a
period of one month, the bank is proposed to be
merged with DBS Bank of India.
Note: The RBI has also drafted a scheme of
amalgamation for LVB with DBS Bank of India and
aims to complete the merger process before
moratorium period ends. The proposed
amalgamation will provide stability and better
prospects to LVB's depositors, customers and
employees. As per the moratorium order, LVB will
not, without RBI's permission, "make, in the
aggregate, payment to a depositor of a sum
exceeding Rs 25,000 lying to his credit, in any
savings, current or any other deposit account, by
whatever name called.
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43. Equitas Small Finance Bank.Small Finance
Bank has launched ‘Eva’, a unique savings account
for Indian women.
Note: The product addresses the wellbeing of
women in every aspect such as Health, Wealth and
Prosperity. The Product that is aimed at women is
based on the concept of Relationship Value.It offers
Free Health Check-up and unlimited teleconsultation
with women doctors, gynecologists and mental
health experts.
44. HDFC Bank has launched a campaign, ‘Mooh
Band Rakho’ to increase awareness on cyber frauds
and ways to prevent them .
Note: The campaign supports the International
Fraud Awareness Week 2020(November 15 – 21), a
global movement to reduce the impact of fraud.The
campaign was launched by Retd. Lt General Dr
Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator,
Government of India and Mr Jimmy Tata, Chief Risk
Officer, HDFC Bank in a virtual event.‘Mooh Band
Rakho’ campaign will talk about the steps to be
followed like not to share the card details, CVV(Card
Verification Value), Expiry Date, OTP(One Time
Password) NetBanking/ MobileBanking Login ID &
Password over Phone, SMS, email and social media.
45. In partnership with technology company
Neokred Technologies , YES Bank launched ‘YES
BANK Neokred Card’, a Co-Branded Prepaid Card to
encourage cashless payments.
Note: The card offerings can be personalized to suit
the needs of companies looking for salary cards or
expense cards for their employees.The ‘YES BANK
Neokred Card’ can be used for spends and also be for
withdrawing cash at ATMs(Automated Teller
Machines). Neokred offers a wide range of
customised benefits like cashback on spends,
rewards, instant discounts among others .
46. Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) has signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) of
Maharashtra state government to enhance doorstep
delivery of livestock care to farmers in the state.
Note: The Joint initiative is titled ‘Maha Pashudhan
Sanjeevani’ and will be supported by BFIL as part of
its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The
Scheme will be implemented under the
Mukhyamantri Pashu Swasthya Yojana.The doorstep
services will include curative treatment, vaccination,
artificial insemination, preventive care and all animal
husbandry related information.
47. Moody’s Investor Services has projected India’s
GDP growth to be contracted by what percent the
current financial year 2020-21-- 10.6% per cent.
Note: Earlier it had estimated the contraction rate as
11.5%.It also revised upwards its expectation for
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GDP growth rate to 10.8 percent for 2021-22 from
the earlier 10.6 percent.
48. In association with Mastercard the United
States Agency for International Development
(USAID) have jointly launched Project Kirana in
India.
Note: The Mastercard and the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) have jointly
launched Project Kirana in India. The project will
work to increase revenue streams and adopt digital
payments in kirana shops owned or operated by
women.
49. Reserve Bank of India became the first central
bank in the world to have more than one million
followers on its Twitter handle.
Note: RBI governor Shaktikanta Das congratulated
his colleagues on this occasion. Mr Das has a
separate Twitter handle with 1.37 lakh followers.
India's monetary authority has beaten the US
Federal Reserve and European Central Bank on
Twitter by emerging as the most popular central
bank on the microblogging site with one million
followers.
50. The Asian Development Bank has approved a
USD 50 million loan to improve operational
efficiencies and resource planning and management
in West Bengal.
Note: The loan will support the integration of
financial and information system and the expansion
of automation reforms in the operations of the state
government, which are expected to strengthen the
delivery of public services and create fiscal savings.
51. Indian IT company TCS will acquire the shares of
Postbank Systems AG, the technology services unit
of Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank AG.
Note: Postbank Systems provides project
management, application management and
infrastructure support services to Deutsche Bank.
The value of the deal was not disclosed.The
transaction is expected to be completed by the year-
end, subject to regulatory approvals
52. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
approved the revamped viability gap funding (VGF)
scheme envisaging a total outlay of Rs 8,100 crore.
Note: The revamped scheme will provide financial
support to PPP projects in the infrastructure sector
spread over a period of five years ending 2024-25.Of
the total amount of Rs 8,100 crore, Rs 6,000 crore
has been earmarked for PPP projects in the economic
infrastructure segment and remaining Rs 2,100 crore
for social infrastructure projects.
53. As per the Reserve Bank of India, India’s GDP is
likely to contract by 8.6% per cent in the second
quarter (July-September) of FY 2020-21.
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Note: The RBI has estimated that the economy will
contract by 9.5 per cent for the full fiscal year.
Researchers have used the ‘nowcasting’ method to
arrive at the estimates ahead of the official release of
data and their views in an article in RBI’s monthly
bulletin.‘India has entered a technical recession in
the first half of 2020-21 for the first time in its
history with Q2 2020-21 likely to record the second
successive quarter of GDP contraction,’ as per the
article titled ‘Economic Activity Index’, authored by
Pankaj Kumar of the Monetary Policy Department.
54. Two banks HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank
have been put in the so-called ‘red flag’ list, a
system used for monitoring foreign portfolio investor
(FPI) limits.
Note: A listed company enters the list when the
available legroom for overseas investment is less
than 3 per cent of the permissible limit. FPIs can
invest up to 74 per cent in both HDFC Bank and
IndusInd Bank. The current FPI shareholding in case
of HDFC Bank is 71.3 per cent, while that of
IndusInd Bank is 73. 1 per cent, data provided by
depository firm NSDL shows.
55. RBL Bank has selected Amazon Web Services
(AWS) as its preferred cloud service to drive digital
transformation.
Note: At present, around 40 per cent of the bank’s
mission-critical applications are on the cloud.The
bank first migrated its corporate website to AWS
cloud and with the experience gained initiated a 10-
in-10 project (a complete migration of 10
applications in 10 days).The bank chose AWS for its
commitment to security and highly reliable global
infrastructure.
56. ICICI Bank has launched a fully digital mode of
payment at leading retail stores partnering with Pine
Labs to unveil ‘Cardless EMI’.
Note: ICICI Bank is the first lender in India to
introduce a fully digital, cardless EMI facility at retail
stores.For this facility the bank joined hands with
Pine Labs, merchant commerce platform, to offer this
facility across pan-India outlets of leading retailers
namely Croma, Reliance Digital, My Jio Stores and
Sangeetha Mobiles.
57. Life Insurance Corporation of India has
“ANANDA”, a digital application for agents for
onboarding to get a life insurance policy.
Note: The Digital Application is called “ANANDA”,
which is an acronym for Atma Nirbhar Agents
NewBusiness Digital Application. The Digital
application is a tool for the onboarding process to get
the life insurance policy through a paperless module
with the help of the agent or intermediary.
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58. The Reserve Bank of India has rejected Muthoot
Finance proposal to acquire IDBI Asset Management
Company on the ground of synergy.
Note: IDBI Bank, which was planning to sell its
mutual fund business for Rs 215 crore to comply with
regulations, will now have to find a new buyer for it.
IDBI Bank, which is a subsidiary of Life Insurance
Corporation, has to divest its share in the AMC since
LIC already has a mutual fund unit.
59. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a
penalty of Rs 1 crore on public sector bank Punjab
National BanK for unauthorised ATM operations.
Note: RBI has observed that the Bank was operating
a bilateral ATM sharing arrangement with Druk PNB
Bank Ltd, Bhutan, (international subsidiary of the
Bank), since April, 2010 without the prior approval /
authorisation from RBI. Meannwhile, in a statement
the RBI said it has cancelled the Certificate of
Authorisation (CoA) of five Payment System
Operators (PSOs) engaged in issuance and operation
of prepaid payment instruments.
60. State Bank of India has signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) with the Luxembourg Stock
Exchange (LuxSe) to set up a long-term cooperation
mechanism, and promote Environmental, Social, and
Corporate Governanceand green finance.
Note: The MoU will help SBI and LuxSE set up a
long-term cooperation mechanism, and promote ESG
(Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance)
and green finance.Through this MoU, the
Luxembourg Stock Exchange would work towards
creating a sustainable environment for issuers, asset
managers, and investors in terms of ESG focused
funds and bonds, according to an official release.
61. Inventivepreneur Chamber of Commerce and
Industries (ICCI) has signed an MoU with HDFC
Bank to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(SMEs) and Start-ups.
Note: Through this association ICCI engages, enrols
and supports various Startups /SMEs /MSMEs (Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises) to facilitate financial
and other facilities to/from HDFC Bank. HDFC Bank
may offer bank accounts to Startups that are
supported by ‘Inventivepreneur’. It will provide vital
business support functions namely, shared
workspaces, digital marketing, web services, Patent
filing, content writing, tax, and legal advisory to ICCI
recommended businesses.
62. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has
collaborated with PNB MetLife India Insurance
Company Limited to launch Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).
Note: This scheme provides life cover of Rs 2 Lakh
on death of the insured member due to any reason.
It is optional for all the savings account holders with
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IPPB. The Scheme was launched in 2015. It is a low
cost insurance scheme that seeks to bring large
sections of the underserved and unserved population
into the financial mainstream.
63. The PK Mohanty constituted by the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has recommended raising the cap on
promoter shareholding in private sector banks to 26
per cent of the paid-up equity capital.
Note: The panel has also proposed that large
corporates may be permitted to promote banks after
necessary amendments to the Banking Regulations
Act. The committee, led by PK Mohanty, has also
proposed converting of payments banks into a small
finance bank. For this, the track record of 3 years of
experience as payments bank may be considered as
sufficient.
64. Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on
withdrawals from Urban Cooperative Bank Mantha
Urban Cooperative Bank.for six months.
Note: The RBI, in a release, said it has issued
certain directions to Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank,
Mantha District Jalna, Maharashtra, from the close of
business on November 17, 2020. As per the
directions, the bank will not, without prior approval
of RBI in writing, grant or renew any loans and
advances, make any investment, incur any liability
including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh
deposits, disburse or agree to disburse any payment,
among others.
65. Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has partnered
with State Bank of India to offer attractive financial
benefits, on owning a Mercedes-Benz.
Note: The collaboration will give Mercedes-Benz
access to the unparalleled market penetration of
SBI’s HNI customer base, while the bank’s customers
will enjoy exclusive benefits while booking a marque
luxury product like Mercedes-Benz. The collaboration
guarantees a host of financial benefits including an
attractive rate of interest, additional benefits worth
INR 25,000 exclusively for YONO customers who
book a Mercedes-Benz vehicle through its Icon
displayed on SBI’s digital platform YONO.
66. Union Cabinet has approved the merger of crisis-
ridden Lakshmi Vilas Bank Limited (LVB) with DBS
Bank India.
Note: The merger takes effect November 27, when
the bar on withdrawals by LVB depositors will be
lifted.LVB will be amalgamated with DBIL from the
appointed date, and with this there will be no further
restrictions on the depositors regarding withdrawal of
their deposits.
67. The report titled “FDI in India: Now, Next and
Beyond” has been prepared by Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII) along with Ernst & Young
Global Limited (EY), according to which India may
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foreign direct investment (FDI) of $120-160 billion
per year by 2025.
Note: This is on the condition to increase the FDI to
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio between 3-4%
from less than 2% now. Notably, India’s GDP grew
6.8% in the past 10 years with FDI to GDP at
1.8%.India’s GDP growth could also improve to 7-
8% growth if the investments come in.The investors
ranked India third in terms of attractiveness and
80% of them have planned for investment in India in
the next two to three years. Out of them 25%
investments are worth over $500 million.
68. Muthoot Finance in partnership with Bajaj
Allianz General Insurance launched a gold
jewellery insurance scheme called ‘Gold Shield’.
Note: The new product known as 'Muthoot Gold
Shield' is the gold jewellery insurance scheme
launched by Muthoot Finance for its customers.The
policy provides insurance coverage for gold jewellery
of individual customers. This product is exclusively
designed to provide insurance coverage of gold
jewellery articles for customers of the company at
the time of closure of the gold loan and release of
gold ornaments.
69. Yes Bank has launched an SMS Pay
functionality on POS terminals, which enables
merchants to accept contactless payments from
customers.
Obituaries
1.
1. Renowned personality R Doraikannu passed away
recently due to COVID-19 complications, he was
Agriculture Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Note: Doraikkannu was undergoing treatment here,
after being shifted from a government medical college
hospital in Villpuram on October 13, where he was
admitted to after he complained of uneasiness. Tamil
Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit condoled the death
of Daoraikkannu and said he was saddened to know
about the demise of the Minister.
2. Mesut Yilmaz passed away recently, he was veteran
politician and former prime minister of Turkey.
Note: He was the Chief of the now-defunctional
centre-right Motherland Party or ANAP from 1991 to
2002. He served as prime minister of Turkey three
times in the 1990s. His first two prime-ministerial
terms lasted for just one month, in 1991 and then in
1996, while the third term was from June 1997 to
January 1999.
3. Renowned personality Satish Prasad Singh passed
away recently, he was former chief minister of Bihar.
Note: Satish Prasad Singh, the leader of Soshit Samaj
Dal became the 6th and the shortest- served CM of
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Note: The facility was launched in collaboration with
French payment services company Worldline.Local
merchants and department stores could request
payments from customers by entering their contact
details. An SMS would be triggered with a generated
link, through which payments can be processed by
credit and debit cards.
70. Fintech company Razorpay has Corporate
Cards, in collaboration with VISA to provide relief
and stabilise the financial operations of COVID-19-
affected startups and SMEs.
Note: The new cards will enable founders to free up
working capital expenses with zero personal risks
and liability and a repayment offering of up to 45
days of interest-free credit.They can be used to
make online payments as well as purchases at a PoS
in a brick-and-mortar.
71. As per the data released by the Union ministry of
statistics and programme implementation (Mospi),
India’s GDP contracted by 7.5%. in the quarter
ending September 2020.
Note: India’s GDP fell by 23.9% in April-June period
quarter, worst in decades, amid the coronavirus
pandemic-induced which hit businesses and
livelihoods across the country. The Reserve Bank of
India’s (RBI) internal model expected a GDP
contraction of 8.6% in the September quarter.
Bihar for 5 days (28 January to February 1, 1968) with
the support of Indian National Congress (INC). He was
born on January 1, 1936 in Korchakka (now known as
Satish Nagar) Village, Khagaria district, Bihar.
4. Renowned personality Tripunithura Narayanaiyer
Krishnan (T N Krishnan) passed away, he was a
veteran Violinist.
Note: T N Krishnan was a child prodigy who made his
first solo violin concert in Triruvantahpuran in 1939.
He was mentored by Alleppy K. Parthasarathy and had
accompanied numerous musicians like Ariyakudi
Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Alathur
Brothers, Madurai Mani Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavatar among others.
5. Renowned personality Faraaz Khan passed away
recently, he was a veteran Actor.
Note: He had acted in several popular Bollywood films
in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some of them
include Mehndi (1998), Fareb (1996), Dulhan Banoo
Main Teri (1999) and Chand Bujh Gaya (2005) among
others.
6. Veteran Actor Faraaz Khan passed away recently.
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Note: Noted actor, filmmaker and voiceover artiste,
Ashish Kakkad, has passed away. He was one of the
most prominent artists from the Gujarati film industry.
As a filmmaker, Ashish was known for his Gujarati
projects namely Better Half (2010) and Mission
Mummy (2016).
7. Renowned Hollywood Actor Sean Connery passes
away recently.
Note: Scottish movie legend Connery, who shot to
international stardom as the suave and sophisticated
British agent James Bond and went on to grace the
silver screen for four decades. Connery will be
remembered first as British agent 007. He was
admired by generations of film fans as the original and
best 007 and went on to create a distinguished body
of work in films such as The Man Who Would Be King,
The Name of the Rose and The Untouchables.
8. Veteran filmmaker Sudarshan Rattan passed away
due to COVID-19.
Note: He was known for his 1986 film Manav Hatya,
starring Madhuri Dixit and Shekhar Suman. Apart from
this, the late filmmaker had also written, directed and
produced the 1996 action drama film Hahakaar,
starring Sudhir Pandey, Shafi Inamdar, Neelima
Azeem and Johny Lever among others.
9. Renowned personality Sanchaman Limboo passed
away recently, he was former chief minister of
Sikkim.
Note: He was born on January 15, 1947 in West
Sikkim district, Sikkim. Sanchaman Limboo, a member
of Sikkim Sangram Parishad Party was the fourth Chief
Minister of Sikkim who served from 17th June 1994 to
12th December 1994. He formed the congress
government in 1994, following the merger of Sikkim
Sangram Parishad Party with Indian National
Congress.
10. Famous Footballer Satyajit Ghosh passed away
recently.
Note: Satyajit Ghosh started his career with Railway
FC in 1980. He later switched on to Mohun Bagan
Athletic Club, an Indian professional multi-sport club,
where he formed the core of their backline alongwith
star Indian defender Subrata Bhattacharya. He played
for Mohun Bagan from 1982 till 1986 and in 1988 till
1993.
11. Spaniard Father and priest Carlos Gonzalez Valles
SJ, passed away recently, he was a veteran author
and columnist of Gujrati language.
Note: Father Valles, Jesuit priest and mathematician
came to India in 1949 and settled in Gujarati. He
taught mathematics in St. Xavier’s College,
Ahmedabad, Gujarati from 1960 to 1982. India
honoured him with Indian citizenship. He wrote a
weekly column in the Gujarat Samachar’s Sunday
supplement.
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12. World’s longest serving prime minister Prince
Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa passed away recently, he
was prime minister of Bahrain.
Note: He is the World’s Longest Serving PM. He has
been serving as PM since 1971. He was born on
November 24, 1935 in Jasra, Bahrain. He has played a
vital role in the political and economic affairs of
Bahrain for over 3 decades. He is the son of Bahrain’s
former ruler, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,
who ruled from 1942 to 1961
13. American Television editor, writer, and producer
Ken Spears passed away recently.
Note: He co-created the beloved animated series
‘Scooby-Doo’. He was also the co-founder of television
animation production company, Ruby-Spears
Productions, along with the late Joe Ruby. Spears and
Ruby together created Scooby-Doo, Dynomutt, Dog
Wonder, and Jabberjaw, among other programs.
14. Nobel laureate Masatoshi Koshiba passed away
recently, he received Nobel prize in Physics.
Note: He was co-winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in
physics for confirming the existence of elementary
particles called neutrinos. He devised the construction
of giant underground chambers to detect neutrinos
that stream from the sun. Takaaki Kajita, won the
Nobel Prize in physics in 2015 for research at the
Super-Kamiokande facility that found neutrinos have
mass.
15. Former President of Ghana Jerry John Rawlings,
passed away recently.
Note: He is the 1st president of the 4th republic of
Ghana. He is the founder of National Democratic
Congress (NDC). The former air force officer and
military leader was born on June22, 1947 at Accra,
Ghana. He led 2 military coups, one in 1979 and
another in 1981.
16. Padma shri awardee and Sculptor Arjun Prajapati
passed away recently.
Note: He passed away due to COVID-19. He was born
on 9th April 1956 and hails from Rajasthan. He was
popularly known as the “Maharathi of Cloning” –
master of cloning, since he has cloned celebrities like
Prince Charles of Britain, former US President Bill
Clinton, Padmashree Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt.
17. Renowned politician Mridula Sinha passed away
recently, she was former governor of Goa state.
Note: Former Governor of Goa and veteran BJP
leader, Mridula Sinha passed away. She was the first
woman Governor of Goa. She was also a proficient
writer, making extensive contributions to the world of
literature as well as culture. She has served as the
head of the BJP’s women’s wing and Chairperson of
Central Social Welfare Board in the Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
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18. Renowned personality R N Chibber passed away
recently, he was a veteran Army Personnel.
Note: Born on September 23, 1934, Gen chibber was
commissioned into the Army on June 2, 1995, and was
posted in Afghanistan from 1972 to 1975 as a military
attache. He was an outstanding officer, who also
commanded the 8 Jat Regiment. His expertise and
exceptional strategy put him in the forefront as a
brilliant officer.
19. Renowned Journalist Ravi Belagere passed away
recently.
Note: Belagere was famous for writings on the crime
world and his column ‘Paapigala Lokadalli’ was very
popular. Known for his writing style, Belagere was
honoured with many awards including the Karnataka
Sahitya Academy award, Kannada Rajyothsava award,
Karnataka Media Academy award and many more.
20. Renowned personality Soumitra Chatterjee passed
away recently,
Important Days
1.
1. World Vegan Day is observed globally every year
on 1st November.
Note: This day is celebrated to spread benefits of
veganism for humans, non-human animals, and the
natural environment. Vegan Day is an opportunity
to promote the benefits of a vegan diet and
veganism in general.
2. International Day to End Impunity for Crimes
against Journalists is observed every year on 2nd
October.
Note: Between 2006 and 2019, more than 1,200
journalists have been killed. The recent
assassination of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi in
October 2018 kindled worldwide criticism and
scrutiny of the Saudi Government. The date of
November 2nd was chosen to mark the
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes
against journalists to commemorate the
assassination of French journalists in Mali in 2013.
3. World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed all
across the world on 5th November.
Note: The day is celebrated to spread awareness
among people across the world in matters related to
the dangers of tsunami. In 2020, World Tsunami
Awareness Day encourages the development of
national and community-level, local disaster risk
reduction strategies to save more lives against
disasters. This year’s observance promotes “Sendai
Seven Campaign,” target.
4. Every year, the International Day for Preventing
the exploitation of the Environment in War and
Armed Conflict is observed on 6th November.
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Note: Chatterjee began his film acting career with
Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar, the third film of the
internationally acclaimed Apu trilogy. The partnership
between the two grew over the course of 14 films.
Chatterjee was also famed for his poetry, the written
word only eclipsed by his impeccable diction, which
still acts as the golden standard for actors starting out
in Bengali theatre and cinema.
21. Renowned banker P G Kakodkar passed away
following a cardiac arrest, he was Chairman of State
Bank of India.
Note: Kakodkar joined SBI as a probationary assistant
in the year 1957 and retired as chairman of the bank
on March 31, 1997. During his tenure as chairman of
the SBI, he was instrumental in the bank achieving
several milestones. He was also on the Managing
Committee of Goa Chamber of Commerce and
Industries (GCCI).
Note: The resolution to celebrate the day was
passed in 2001. According to the United Nations
Environment Programme, a least 40% of internal
conflicts are linked to the exploitation of natural
resources in the last 60 years.
5. The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed
annually in India on 7th November.
Note: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan first
announced National Cancer Awareness Day in
September 2014. According to the WHO, cancer is
the second leading cause of death globally. World
Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year.
6. National Legal Services Day is celebrated every
year on 8th November.
Note: The Day is celebrated to make people aware
of the various provisions under the Legal Services
Authorities Act and the right of the litigants. The
aim of celebrating this day is to offer free of charge,
proficient and legal services to the people belonging
to weaker sections of society. On 11 October 1987,
the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 was
enacted, while the act took effect on 9 November
1995.
7. The World Science Day for Peace and
Development is celebrated every year on 10th
November.
Note: This year the day is celebrated under the
theme ‘Science for and with Society’. The day was
proclaimed in 2001 and Is being celebrated by the
United Nations since 2002. The main objectives of
the day are as follows:
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▪ To strengthen the role of science for sustainable
and peaceful societies
▪ To promote national and international solidarity
▪ To draw attention about the challenges faced by
science
▪ To renew national and international commitment
8. Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated
every year on12th November.
Note: The day is celebrated to commemorate the
first and only visit of the Father of the Nation,
Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio,
Delhi in 1947. On 12 November 1947, Mahatma
Gandhi addressed the displaced people (a refugee
from Pakistan), who had temporarily settled at
Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.
9. The theme of the National Ayurveda Day 2020 is
‘Ayurveda for COVID-19 pandemic’.
Note: National Ayurveda Day is being celebrated
every year from 2016 on the day of Dhanwantri
Jayanti or Dhanteras. Ayurveda is considered one of
the most ancient and well-documented systems of
medicine that are equally relevant in modern times.
10. Every year World Diabetes Day is observed on
14th November.
Note: World Diabetes Day is observed every year
on November 14, aims to promote global awareness
and how can people live the way they want while
managing diabetes in an efficient way. World
Diabetes Day (WDD) was first created in 1991 by
the International Diabetes Federation and was later
recognized by the United Nations in 2006.
11. The International Day for Tolerance is annually
observed on 16th November.
Note: The day is observed to educate people about
the need for tolerance in society and to help them
understand the negative effects of intolerance.This
day was created to encourage mindfulness and faith
in human rights – in order to encourage equality
and diversity across the world.
12. National Press Day is observed every year on
16th November.
Note: The day marks the presence of an
independent and responsible press in India.This day
symbolizes freedom of the press and its
responsibilities towards the society. The Press
Council of India started functioning on this day.
13. The theme of the World Toilet Day 2020
celebrated every year on 19th November --
Sustainable Sanitation and Climate Change.
Note: The official convener of the World Toilet Day
is the UN-Water. In 2020, the World Toilet Day is
celebrated under theme “Sustainable Sanitation and
Climate Change”. According to the United Nations,
more than 4.2 billion live without safely managed
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sanitation. Also, more than 673 million people still
practice open defecation.
14. World Philosophy Day 2020 was observed on
19th November.
Note: The Day encourages academic exchange and
highlights the contribution of philosophical
knowledge in addressing global issues. The 2020
edition invites the world to reflect on the meaning of
the current pandemic, underlining the need, more
than ever before, to resort to philosophical
reflection in order to face the multiple crises we are
going through.
15. The theme of the 59th National Pharmacy Week
observed between November 16, 2020 and
November 22, 2020 -- Pharmacists: Frontline
Health Professionals.
Note: The Indian Pharmaceutical Association has
been organizing the National Pharmacy Week every
year during the third week of November. This year
the 59th National Pharmacy Week was celebrated.
16. Maharashtra state observed the National Unity
Week from 19th to 25th of November in order to
increase social harmony in the state.
Note: Maharashtra will observe the National Unity
Week from 19th to 25th of November in order to
increase social harmony in the state, everyone
should participate in this programme.
17. The world television day is observed every year
on 21st November.
Note: The day marks the association of emerging
and traditional forms of broadcast. The World
Television Day theme of the 2020 edition is TV
makes a difference.
18. World Fisheries day is celebrated every year on
21st November.
Note: The day highlights the importance of healthy
oceans ecosystems and to ensure sustainable stocks
of fisheries in the world. The World Fisheries Day
2020 celebrated under the theme Social
Responsibility in the fisheries value chain.
19. The International Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women is celebrated worldwide on
25th November.
Note: The day is celebrated to raise awareness of
the fact that women around the world are subject to
various forms of violence and the true nature of the
issue is often hidden. This year’s theme for the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women is “Orange the World: Fund,
Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.
20. The National Law Day is observed 26th
November to commemorates the adoption of the
Constitution in India.
Note: On 26 November 1949, the Constituent
Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India,
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and it came into effect on 26 January 1950. The
Government of India declared 26 November as
Constitution Day on 19 November 2015 by a
gazette notification. The Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi made the declaration on 11 October
2015 while laying the foundation stone of the B. R.
Ambedkar's Statue of Equality memorial in Mumbai.
21. In India the National Milk Day is observed every
year on 26th November.
Note: The day was fixed by all the dairy majors of
the country including the National Dairy
Development Board (NDDB), the Indian Dairy
Association (IDA), along with 22 state-level milk
federations.
22. The International Day of Solidarity with the
Palestinian People is observed every year on 29th
November.
Note: The day marks the adoption of resolution on
the partition of Palestine in 1947 and was adopted
New Appointments
1.
1. John Magufuli has been re-elected as the
president of Tanzania.
Note: Magufuli received 12.5m votes in presidential
ballot, while his main challenger, Tundu Lissu of the
Chadema party, received 1.9m votes. Magufuli has
been seeking a second five-year term and promised
voters that he would boost the economy by
completing ambitious infrastructure projects started
in his first term.
2. PVG Menon has been appointed as the chief
executive officer of the Electronics Sector Skill
Council of India (ESSCI).
Note: The Electronics Sector Skill Council of India
(ESSCI), an organization setup to provide a skilled
workforce for the Electronics industry, announced
the appointment of PVG Menon as its chief
executive officer. Prior to taking up this role, Menon
was the President & CEO of VANN Consulting and
has over three decades of experience in the
development, marketing and management of
technology.
3. Gurdeep Singh has been appointed as the
chairman of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT)
Note: The appointment committee of the Union
cabinet issued the order for the central deputation.
The post of MbPT chairman was vacant after former
chairman Sanjay Bhatia retired on July 31 and was
appointed as Lokayukta of Maharashtra. Jalota, who
is the first Goods and Services Tax (GST)
commissioner of Maharashtra, is currently the
additional chief secretary in the higher and technical
education department of the state government.
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by UN General Assembly in 1977 as the as the
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian
People. Palestine: It is recognized officially as State
of Palestine by UN and other entities. It is a
sovereign state in Western Asia with administrative
centre located in Ramallah. It will be observed on 1
December with special meetings in 2020 due to
COVID-19.
23. The United Nations Day of Remembrance for all
Victims of Chemical Warfare is observed every year
on 30th November.
Note: The day marks a tribute to the victims of
chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the
commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of
the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting
the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.
4. Priyanca Radhakrishnan has been appointed
as the first-ever Indian-origin minister of New
Zealand by the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern.
Note: She was appointed as the Minister for the
Community & Voluntary Sector and Minister for
Diversity, Inclusion & Ethnic Communities. She was
elected first as a Member of Parliament belonging to
the Labour Party in September 2017. In 2019, she
was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Minister for Ethnic Communities.
5. Duarte Pacheco has been elected as the 30th
President of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) for a
three-year term of 2020-2023.
Note: He succeeds Gabriela Cuevas Barron, a
Mexican Parliamentarian. The Presidential Election
was conducted over the virtual platform during the
206th Session of the Governing Council of IPU,
which was conducted as a virtual session. Around
400 parliamentarians from 140 member Parliaments
registered their vote during the 24-hour window.
6. Alassane Ouattara Ivory Coast has been elected
as the president of which country for a consecutive
third term.
Note: The 2020 Ivory Coast Election held on 31st
October 2020 was boycotted by the two opposition
figures – former President Henri Konan Bedie and
ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and their
supporters. The total voter turnouts was around
53.90% and the opposition claimed that only 10%
Ivorians took part in the election.
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7. Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha has been appointed
as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)
Note: President Ram Nath Kovind has administered
the oath of office to Sinha as the Chief Information
Commissioner in the Central Information
Commission at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Sinha, a former diplomat, joined as the
Information Commissioner on January 1, 2019. He
has served as India's High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
8. Gyanendro Ningombam has been elected as
the President of Hockey India.
Note: Executive Board after being Elected
Unopposed for the Senior Vice President post.
Earlier, Gyanendro Ningombam has been serving as
the Officiating President of Hockey India since July
2020. Gyanendro has been associated with the
discipline of Hockey in Manipur for the last 40 years,
and has impressed with his work at the grassroots
level.
9. Vidisha Maitra has been elected to the UN’s
Advisory Committee on Administrative and
Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Note: The election was a tightly contested one but
Maitra won with 126 UN members supporting her
candidature for the only post for the Asia-Pacific
group while 64 voted for the opposing candidate
who was from Iraq. India has been a member of the
committee since its inception in 1946.
10. Akshay Kumar Singh has been appointed as
the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the
country’s biggest gas importer, Petronet LNG Ltd.
Note: He will replace Prabhat Singh who completed
his 5-year term. Petronet is a joint venture of IOC,
GAIL, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and BPCL.
The four state-owned firms hold 12.5 per cent stake
each in the company whose chairman is the Oil
Secretary. Petronet operates liquefied natural gas
(LNG) import terminal at Dahej in Gujarat and Kochi
in Kerala.
11. Joe Biden has been elected as the next
President of United State of America.
Note: His Oath of Office as the 46th President of
the US will be administered by the Chief Justice of
Supreme Court. He is to assume office on January
20, 2021. The election results make Trump the first
one term president since 1990. This year, the US
vote counting was delayed.
12. T. N. Manoharan has been appointed as the as
the administrator of the crisis ridden Laxmi Vilas
Bank by the Reserve Bank of India.
Note: The RBI has also drafted a scheme of
amalgamation for LVB with DBS Bank of India and
aims to complete the merger process before
moratorium period ends. The proposed
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amalgamation will provide stability and better
prospects to LVB's depositors, customers and
employees.
13. Kris Gopalakrishnan has been appointed as
the first Chairperson of Reserve Bank Innovation
Hub.
Note: He was appointed by the Reserve Bank of
India. The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub aims to
promote innovation across financial sector.The RBI
set up the hub to promote, support and hand-hold
cross thinking. The hub will aim to increase the use
of innovative technologies across the finance
sectors.
14. Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the
brand ambassador of Financepeer, Google incubated
education fee financing company.
Note: Rohit Sharma will be supporting Financepeer
to transform the education sector and introduce
innovation across the various segments of
education. This collaboration between Rohit Sharma
and Financepeer will increase the reach of edtech
and Fintech platforms of Financepeer among the
Indian parents and schools.
15. Maia Sandu became the first woman
President of Moldova after winning the
Presidential election with around 57.75% of votes.
Note: Maia Sandu, won the election defeating the
pro-russian incumbent president, Igor Dodon by 15
points (42.25% of votes). Maia Sandu worked for
the World Bank and later became the prime minister
of Moldova in 2019.
16. Smriti Mandhana has been appointed as the
new brand ambassador of ESFBL.
Note: Mandhana will feature in promoting Equitas
Small Finance Bank’s new product aimed at women
called Eva. ‘Eva’ is a unique savings account which
tries to address the well-being of Indian women in
every aspect such as Health, Wealth and Prosperity
as per the Bank.
17. Sonu Sood has been appointed as state icon of
Punjab by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Note: The decision of honouring Sonu Sood with
the title comes after he earned laurels for his
humanitarian work during the lockdown. Sonu has
been helping migrant workers reach their
hometowns amid the coronavirus pandemic. He also
helped people by giving them face masks, food,
mobile phones and more.
18. SN Rajeswari has been appointed as a Whole-
time member (distribution) of the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India
(IRDAI).
Note: She is appointed for a period of 3 years or till
attaining the age of 62. The centre appointed her as
the CMD of Oriental Insurance in August 2020, she
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will hold the position as CMD till the end of May
2022.
19. Girish Chandra Murmu has been elected as
External Auditor of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU),
Geneva for three years.
Note: Murmu will assume the position shortly by
taking charge from Supreme Audit Institution of
Switzerland. The CAG of India has been the external
auditor of various international organisations. He
has earlier also been on the UN Board of Auditors
from 1993 to 1999 and 2014 to 2020.
20. Pia Dandiya has been appointed the White
House Fellow for the year 2020-21.
Note: Dandiya, the founding principal of Democracy
Prep Endurance High School in Harlem, New York, is
the only Indian American among 14 White House
Fellows announced this year.
21. Navneet Munot has been appointed as
managing director and chief executive officer of
HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd.
Note: Munot, who was earlier chief investment
officer (CIO) at SBI Mutual Fund, will be succeeding
Milind Barve, who has been MD and CEO of HDFC
AMC since inception in 2000.
22. The new Chairman of International Cricket
Council (ICC) -- Greg Barclay.
Note: Barclay succeeds India’s Shashank Manohar
who stepped down in July 2020 and will replace
Important News – India
1.
1. The government of India is to set up fourteen
more aerodromes in the country to develop sea
plane tourism in the country, the project will be
implemented jointly by The Ministry of Civil
Aviation and Airport Authority of India.
Note: Recently, PM Modi inaugurated the seaplane
service between Statue of Unity in Kevadia and
Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The 14
aerodromes are being planned under UDAN scheme.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority
of India are to implement the project jointly.
2. The Ministry of AYUSH will set up “Strategic
Policy and Facilitation Bureau” with Invest India to
facilitate systematic growth of AYUSH sector.
Note: The Bureau will help to make AYUSH systems
future ready. It will support in making initiatives
under the ministry to its full potential. Also, it will
help to initiate the growth and investment of the
AYUSH sector. Invest India and the Ministry of
AYUSH will collaborate to define short- and long-
term targets. Also, it will deploy trained experts to
implement and execute the plans of the ministry.
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Imran Khwaja, who is currently the interim
chairman. He was serving as NZC’s representative
on the board of the International Cricket Council
and had also served as the director of ICC Men’s
Cricket World Cup 2015.
23. Lt Gen Harpal Singh has been appointed as
the new Engineer-in-Chief of Indian Army.
Note: He is presently the Director-General of
Border Roads Organisation and would take over his
new appointment on 1 December. Lt Gen Harpal
Singh, an alumnus of National Defence Academy,
Khadakwasla, was commissioned into the Corps of
Engineers on 24 December 1982. He later
commanded a Border Roads, Task Force, in Jammu
and Kashmir valley.
24. Neera Tanden has been be nominated as the
as the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget by the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden Joe
Biden.
Note: It is a top position inside the White House
responsible for managing the administration’s
budget. Ms. Tanden (50) would be the first woman
of colour to head the influential Office of
Management and Budget at the White House. Ms.
Tanden is currently chief executive of the left-
leaning Center for American Progress.
3. The Ministry of Labour recently notified the draft
rules for the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 to be
implemented by April, 2021.
Note: The Industrial Relations Rules, 2020 is to
supersede the Industrial Tribunal (Central
Procedure) Rules, 1949, Industrial Tribunal (Central
Procedure) Rules, 1954, Industrial Employment
(Standing Order) Central Rules, 1946 and Industrial
Disputes (Central) Rules, 1957. Under the new
Industrial Relations Rules, 2020, the establishments
with more than 300 workers will have to seek
Government Approval to lay 15 days in prior to the
lay off of the intended actions. Earlier, the limit was
100 employees. This means the doing business is
being eased under the new rules.
4. The Indian Oil Corporation Research and
Development Centre signed a MoU with Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), to develop biomass
gasification-based Hydrogen Generation Technology
to produce Fuel Cell Grade Hydrogen at an
affordable price.
Note: The technology being envisaged under the
programme will provide clean energy option to
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address the challenge of biomass waste. The
technology is to be demonstrated at the Indian Oil
Research and Development Centre at Faridabad.
The hydrogen generated from this demonstration
plant is to be used to power fuel cell buses of bigger
projects of Indian Oil. Biomass Gasification is a
process that converts biomass to hydrogen and
other products without combustion.
5. Which Tiger Reserve has been included in the
‘World Network of Biosphere Reserves’ list of the
UNESCO.
Note: This is the 12th biosphere reserve from India
to be included in the ‘World Network of Biosphere
Reserves’, and third from Madhya Pradesh, after
Pachmarhi and Amarkantak. Currently, Panna Tiger
Reserve is home to 54 tigers. The UNESCO World
Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers
internationally designated protected areas (known
as biosphere reserves) that demonstrate a balanced
relationship between people and nature (like
encourage sustainable development).
6. India’s first “Tyre Park” will be established in
Kolkata, West Bengal.
Note: The West Bengal Transport Corporation will
launch this Tyre Park. The Tyre Park, which will
come up at the Esplanade area, would have a small
cafe where people can sit, relax and enjoy the
craftsmanship made from tyres.
7. Meri Saheli initiative has been launched the
Indian Railways to provide safety and security to
women passengers during their train journeys.
Note: The Meri Saheli initiative has been launched
by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian
Railways. A team of lady officer and staff have been
formed under the new initiative, which will visit all
passenger coaches of the train including ladies
coaches, to identify women passengers. The team
will note down their journey details like coach
number and seat number, especially if a lady is
travelling alone on the train.
8. Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde
inaugurated India’s first-ever E-resource centre
Nyay Kaushal in Nagpur.
Note: Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde
inaugurated India’s first-ever E-resource centre
Nyay Kaushal at Judicial Officers Training Institute
in Maharashtra’s Nagpur. Nyay Kaushal will facilitate
e-filling of cases in Supreme Court, any High court
and district courts across the country.
9. India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati signed
an MoU with Bhaskaracharya National Institute
for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics to
launch 51 direct-to-home (DTH) education TV
channels.
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Note: Under the MoU, all the 51 DTH education
channels will be available as DD co-branded
channels to all DD Fresh Dish viewers. The 51 DTH
channels includes Swayamprabha, E-Vidya for Class
1 to 12, DigiShala, Vande Gujarat, etc. The
channels are to provide quality educational
programmes to rural and remote households. These
services are to available free of cost for all the
viewers 24/7. This will aid the GOI to achieve its
target of providing “Education to all”.
10. Shashi S Vempati will be the chairman of the
of the committee constituted the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting to review “Guidelines
on Television Rating Agencies in India”.
Note: Headed by Shashi S Vempati, CEO, Prasar
Bharti, the committee will examine the different
aspects of television rating systems in India and
carry out any changes, if necessary. The committee
will submit its report within two months from the
issue of the notice.
11. Six startups under the leadership of women
have won the COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge that
was launched by MyGov in collaboration with UN
Women.
Note: COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge was hosted
on the platform of MyGov. It called for the
applications from the startups that are led by
women as well as those startups who provide
solutions to issues faced by a large number of
women. COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge was
implemented in two stages- Proof of Concept Stage
and Ideation Stage. It also received an
overwhelming response with a total of 1265 entries
from all over the nation.
12. The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to
invest ₹1,810 crore for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I
hydropower project to be constructed across river
Satluj.
Note: The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to
invest ₹1,810 crore for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I
hydropower project. The project is to be constructed
across river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh. It is being
implemented by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL)
on Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (BOOM) basis.
13. Indian Railways (IR) has tied up with Indian
School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad to improve
its operational efficiency using digital tools such as
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Analytics.
Note: Indian Railway will provide passengers-
related data, train operations-related data, freight
data and asset-related data to ISB for the analysis.
After analysis, it will be used by IR in the Passenger
Reservation System (PRS), introduction of new
trains, and predictive asset maintenance.
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14. India holds fifth joint working group on coal
with Indonesia where the countries discussed on
Indian Coal Policy reforms, commercial mining of
coal in India and coking coal exploration.
Note: During the meeting, the countries discussed
on Indian Coal Policy reforms, commercial mining of
coal in India and coking coal exploration. India is
currently looking for opportunities to import more
coal from Indonesia. This is because the coal prices
in world market is declining at rapid rate. The plan
is to replace coal imports destinies with Indonesia
and not increase coal imports. India is to increase
its coal imports from Indonesia because, the
Indonesian coal prices have fallen greatly in
September 2020 due to the pandemic. The prices
have been declining since March 2020.
15. S Jai Shankar represented India in the first
India-Nordic-Baltic Conclave held virtually.
Note: The Conclave was jointly hosted by Ministry
of External Affairs and Confederation of Indian
Industry. The Conclave focused on clean
technologies and renewable energies, Artificial
Intelligence, supply chain logistics and block chain
led transformation. The Nordic Baltic Eight includes
Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Iceland, Norway,
Lithuania and Sweden. The Baltic States are Latvia,
Lithuania and Estonia. These three countries are
located in the Baltic sea and are fast growing
economies.
16. The Katakey Panel was set up by National
Green Tribunal to probe the blowout, subsequent
fire at an Oil India Limited (OIL) well at Baghjan in
Assam which submitted its report recently.
Note: The Katakey Panel was set up by National
Green Tribunal to provide a report about the
accident. BP Katakey is a retired Guwahati High
Court Judge. According to the panel, OIL did not
have the required consent to establish, operate and
carry out drilling and testing of hydrocarbons. The
panel also reported that the well was deficient in
planning and supervising critical operation at the
well site.
17. Narendra Modi chaired the Global Investor
Roundtable Conference in which twenty of the world
largest Sovereign Wealth Funds and pension
Note: The conference witnessed the participation of
twenty of the world largest Sovereign Wealth Funds
and pension. These participants owned total assets
of more than 6 billion USD. The main focus of
discussion at the conference was about the vision of
GoI in becoming a 5 trillion USD economy.
18. The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in
partnership with American India Foundation, Dell
Technologies and University of Mumbai has
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launched ”Project Future Ready” to equip students
with career skills.
Note: The project is set to impact over 1 lakh
students in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, of which 60 per
cent are females. The project aims to provide skills
development for these students through career
mentoring, leveraging online skilling platforms and
providing market aligned skills training for
employability and inculcating entrepreneurial mind-
set.
19. Snam has announced multiple green energy
partnerships with Adani group, Indian Oil and
Greenko, paving way for its entry into the Indian
market.
Note: Snam is an operator of Europe's largest
natural gas transmission network. Greenko has tied
up with Snam for setting up a 50-50 joint venture
to develop a “green hydrogen" business. Italian firm
has collaborated with the Adani Group to “envisage
exploration of the hydrogen value chain in India and
global markets.
20. Tata Technologies has signed an agreement
with Karnataka state government to modernise
150 state-run IITs.
Note: The project cost includes investment from
the state govt and also from the consortium of 20
companies led by Tata Technologies. The project is
expected to bring qualitative improvements in the
field of industrial training and education to create an
enhanced learning environment for training youth.
21. According to “Interstate Migrant Policy Index”
(IMPEX) released by the ‘India Migration Now’
Kerala is at the top in integrating migrant workers.
Note: The average IMPEX score of India is 37 out of
100. According to the index, the states of Kerala,
Goa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have been
most successful in integrating migrant workers. On
the other hand, Delhi has the least Interstate
Migrant Policy Index. The index helps India to
evolve policy for 455 million internal migrants.
According to Census 2011, there are 455 million
internal migrants in the country.
22. Narendra Singh Tomar chaired Inter-
Ministerial Approval Committee meeting that
approved 29 projects leveraging investment of Rs
443 crores.
Note: The committee approved 29 projects
leveraging investment of Rs 443 crores. Under the
Scheme of Integrated Cold Chain and Value
Addition, Rs 189 crores were allocated. Rs 15 crores
was allocated to the BFL scheme. BFL is creation of
Backward and Forward Linkages. BFL is a part of
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana. The projects
are to generate 15,000 employment and will benefit
more than 2 lakh farmers.
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23. The Ministry of Labour and Employment notified
the draft rules for the Industrial Relations Code,
2020 in the Official Gazette of India, the
government aims to implement the four labour
codes from April 1, 2021.
Note: The ministry sought comments from various
stakeholders within 30 days for finalizing the rules.
The government aims to implement the four labour
codes from April 1, 2021. In September 2020,
Parliament had approved the Three Labour Codes –
Code on Industrial Relations, the Code on Social
Security and the Code on Occupational Safety,
Health and Working Conditions. The Industrial
Relation (Central) Rules, 2020 will replace the
Industrial Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 1949, the
Industrial Tribunal (Central Procedure) Rules, 1954,
the Industrial Disputes (Central) Rules, 1957 and
Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Central
Rules, 1946.
24. The Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a 9 member
working group under R Chandrasekharan to
revisit the product structures of engineering tariffs
relevant to the retail businesses and provide
suitable recommendations to revise them.
Note: The committee will submit the report within 3
months. Engineering insurance requirements are
constantly evolving with continuous advancement in
technology this resulted to the changes in the
customers’ expectations regarding the insurance.
So, the Working Group will revisit the Engineering
products (which are as per the erstwhile tariffs) for
the Retail segment of products.
25. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
issued an order for scale-up and expansion of the
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan
Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme and set a target
of enhanced solar capacity of 30.8 GigaWatt (GW)
by 2022.
Note: It has set a target of enhanced solar capacity
of 30.8 GigaWatt (GW) by 2022 with revised Central
Financial Support of INR 34, 035 crores. MNRE
launched the PM KUSUM Scheme for farmers for
installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar
and other renewable power plants in India.
26. The Government of India has set up a 21-
member Inter-Ministerial Committee under
chairmanship of Arun Goel to strengthen the
Capital Goods (CG) sector.
Note: The committee is headed by Arun Goel,
Secretary of Department of Heavy Industries,
Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.
The Committee will strengthen the capital goods
sector. The committee will figure out the ways and
means to make the CG sector globally competitive
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and also to become the manufacturing hub for the
world.
27. Hero MotoCorp has signed a distribution
agreement with Harley-Davidson Motor Company
for Indian market, as a part of “The Rewire”a plan
to change its business model in India.
Note: Under this Hero will sell and service Harley-
Davidson motorcycles, parts and accessories for
general merchandise through a network of exclusive
Harley-Davidson dealerships and MotoCorp will
develop and sell a range of premium motorcycles
under the Harley-Davidson brand. In September
2020, Harley-Davidson Motor Co decided to exit
India and announced the shutting down of its
Manufacturing plant in Bawal, Haryana.
28. Tamil Nadu state has won the first position in
the in the Union ministry of Jal Shakti’s 2nd
National Water Awards for 2019 under the best
state (normal) category for the conservation and
management of water.
Note: The Awards will be presented during the 2-
day virtual ceremony on 11th and 12th November
2020 in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah
Naidu, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister
for Jal Shakti and Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
29. The theme of 13th Urban Mobility India (UMI)
Conference 2020 is Emerging Trends in Urban
Mobility, held virtually from New Delhi.
Note: It was inaugurated by Minister of State-MoS
(Independent Charge-IC) Hardeep Singh Puri,
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). This
was the first virtual UMI conference amid COVID 19
and was also held for a day as against the usual
format of three days without any exhibition.
30. Government of India issued an order to bring
digital or online Media, films and audio-visual
programmes, news portal and current affairs
content under Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
Note: This will include OTT (over-the-top) platforms
such as Netflix, Hotstar, Prime Video & Online News
Portal. In order to do bring this under Ministry of
I&B President amended the Government of India
(Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. At present,
there is no law or autonomous body governing
digital content.
31. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has emerged as the
lowest bidder with Rs.3166 crores for the
construction of the 20 kilometer (km) 4 lane road
bridge across River Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri
of Assam to Phulbair of Meghalaya.
Note: This will be India’s longest Bridge over a
River in the northeast. National Highways and
Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited
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(NHIDCL) is the executing agency and is expected
to be completed by 2026-27. This river bridge
project is financed by JICA (Japan International
Cooperation Agency). This project will enable better
connectivity between the Northeastern states to the
rest of India.
32. According to the International Energy Agency’s
(IEA) report, Renewables 2020 – Analysis and
Forecast to 2025 by the year 2025 renewable
energy will overtake coal to become the largest
source of electricity generation worldwide.
Note: India will double its green energy capacity
addition in 2021 compared to 2020 levels. The
report has predicted a decline in Global renewable
capacity addition in 2022 due to expiry of incentives
and policy uncertainties. The Renewable capacity
additions are on track for a record expansion of
nearly 10% in 2021.
33. As per the Vital Statistics of India based on Civil
Registration System, released by the Registrar
General of India which is the state with highest Sex
Ratio -- Arunachal Pradesh.
Note: The report mainly provides insights on Sex
Ratios in various states of India. Arunachal Pradesh
was the state with highest Sex Ratio. The sex ratio
of the state was 1084. The state of Manipur had the
least Sex Ratio of 757.
34. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled “Statue
of Peace” in Rajasthan to mark the 151st birth
anniversary of Jain Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh
Surishwer Ji Maharaj.
Note: The 151-inch tall statue has been made from
Ashtadhatu- 8 metals, with Copper being the major
constituent, and is being installed at Vijay Vallabh
Sadhana Kendra, Jetpura, in Pali, Rajasthan. Vijay
Vallabh Surishwer Ji was Jain monk born on October
26, 1870.
35. Keetham lake lake is located in Agra of India
recently been added to the Ramsar site list.
Note: Sur Sarovar also known as Keetham Lake in
Agra, Uttar Pradesh has been added to the ‘Ramsar
Sites’. Sur Sarovar is the 2440th site of Ramsar
site. Sur Sarovar is the 40th Ramsar Sites in India.
36. Only crater lake of Country that has been added
to the ‘Ramsar Sites’ recently -- Lonar Lake.
Note: Lonar lake is the 2441st Ramsar site.Lonar
lake is the 41st Ramsar Sites in India. With the
inclusion of this wetland, the total number of
Ramsar Sites in India is 41, the highest in South
Asia.
37. Ministry of Finance gave its nod for the
creation of the first ever “National Database of
Unorganised Workers (NDUW)” with an expected
outlay of Rs 650 crore.
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Note: In this regard, Ministry of Labour &
Employment has envisaged development of NDUW
seeded with Aadhaar. This project will include
migrant workers also and the benefits to be
provided through this database will encourage them
to enroll on the website.
38. The Energy Efficiency Services Limited signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Goa’s
Department of New and Renewable Energy to set up
first convergence project of India to generate Green
Energy for agriculture and rural areas.
Note: According to the agreement, the first
convergence project of India to generate Green
Energy for agriculture and rural areas is to be set up
in Goa. The project is to focus on energy solutions
that are evolved based on the concepts that
combine climate change, renewable energy and
Artificial Intelligence.
39. Mumbai has become the first city in the
country with a gender-specific city’s urban plan
which has provisions for designated spaces for the
needs of women.
Note: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC) has added a chapter titled ‘Gender, Special
Groups and Social Equity’ under the Revised Draft
Development Plan (RDDP) 2034. The plan proposed
“departure from gender blindness to gender
mainstreaming”.
40. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA),
New Delhi has become the first airport in Asia
Pacific Region to get the Level 4+ Transition –
carbon accreditation.
Note: The airport was accredited under ACI’s
Airport Carbon Accreditation program for its works
in aligning its carbon management with global
climate goals to reach net zero emission reduction.
The Airport is owned and operated by GMR Group.
41. Indian city Bhubaneswar becomes the First
City in the Country to get ISO (International
Organization for Standardization) 9001:2015
Certification for Faecal Sludge and Septage
Management (FSSM) services.
Note: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)
was the first civic body to implement FSSM
regulations in Odisha. Jenaidah is the first city in
the world to get ISO certification for FSSM.
Bhubaneswar is 2nd in the world and 1st city in
India in this regard.
42. Hardeep Singh Puri has launched the
Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, aimed to ensure
that no person needs to enter a sewer or septic
tank, unless absolutely unavoidable in the interest
of greater public hygiene.
Note: The initiative, that promotes mechanized
cleaning, also aims to ensure that no life of any
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sewer or septic tank cleaner is ever lost again owing
to the issue of 'hazardous' cleaning. The virtual
event witnessed participation of representatives
from 243 cities across the country, coming together
to take a pledge to mechanize all sewer and septic
tank cleaning operations by 30th April 2021.
43. India’s rank in the global list that measured
business bribery risks of 2020 -- 77th.
Note: India ranked 77th position in the global list
that measured business bribery risks of 2020. North
Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela and
Eritrea were at highest risks and Denmark, Norway,
Finland, Sweden and New Zealand present the
lowest.
44. The theme of the 13th Urban Mobility India
(UMI) Conference 2020 was held virtually from New
Delhi -- Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility.
Note: It was inaugurated by Minister of State-MoS
(Independent Charge-IC) Hardeep Singh Puri,
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). This
was the first virtual UMI conference amid COVID 19
and was also held for a day as against the usual
format of three days without any exhibition.
45. India will host G20 summit in 2023.
Note: The main focus of the Summit was on
resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery from
covid-19 crisis. During the Summit the leaders
discussed on the preparedness of the countries in
response to the pandemic. They also shared their
vision on building a resilient future. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi participated in the 2020 G20 summit
that was held under the theme of “realising
opportunities of the 21st century for all”.
46. The Union Information Technology Minister Shri
Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the International
version of mobile application UMANG.
Note: UMANG is Unified Mobile Application for New-
age Governance. It was launched in UK, US,
Australia, Canada, Netherlands, UAE, Australia,
Singapore and New Zealand. The International
version was launched on the completion of three
years of UMANG.
47. The name of the cyclone that hit the coastal
areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Puducherry -- Nivar.
Note: It is to hit the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. The National Crisis
Management Committee recently reviewed the
status of cyclone held through video conferencing.
The committee was set up by Government of India
in the wake of natural calamity.
48. The theme of the 23rd Edition of Bengaluru
Tech Summit (BTS) 2020 -- Next is Now.
Note: The Summit is being held completely in
Virtual Platform due to Pandemic.Theme of BTS
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2020 is ‘Next is Now’. The BTS 2020 Summit
focused on technologies and innovations in the field
of ‘Information Technology & Electronics’ and
‘Biotechnology’
49. According to Global Employability Ranking and
Survey (GEURS) 2020, Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Delhi has been ranked as the
best institute in terms of employability of its
students.
Note: The GEURS 2020 was released by the Times
Higher Education and French HR Consultancy group
‘Emerging’. Globally, India has been ranked among
the 15 best-performing countries in employability,
improving from its 23rd rank in 2010.
50. Food Processing minister Narendra Singh Tomar
inaugurated a mega food park (MFP) in Punjab.
Note: This MFP built at project cost of Rs 107.83
crores and spread over 55 acres of land is expected
to benefit about 25000 farmers. Till date, 37 MFPs
have been sanctioned and 20 have already started
functioning
51. VK Saraswat will chair the Expert Committee
constituted by the NITI Aayog to explore the
technological and commercial viability of the Virgin
Hyperloop technology for ultrahigh speed travel in
India.
Note: The Virgin Hyperloop test run was conducted
on a 500-meter track in Las Vegas in the USA with a
pod, as the hyperloop vehicles are called, travelling
with passengers, including an Indian, inside an
enclosed tube at more than 100 mph or 161 kmph.
52. Two-days ‘80th All India Presiding Officers
Conference’ was held in Kevadia, Gujarat was
inaugurated by President Ramnath Kovind and
concluding session addressed by PM Narendra Modi.
Note: The two-day conference was held at Kevadia
in Gujarat. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates
the conference which is being attended by Vice
President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah
Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Gujarat
Governor Acharya Devvrat, the state's Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani among others. Speaker Om
Birla is also the chairperson of the conference.
53. Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 3rd Global
Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-
INVEST 2020) virtually.
Note: During the three-day virtual conference, all
the leading companies displayed their latest
technological development in the field of renewable
energy and discuss various options available for
energy transition. Several world leaders, Energy
Ministers of 75 countries and 200 eminent speakers
attended the event. The summit is organised by the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The theme
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for RE-Invest 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable
Energy Transition’.
54. Indian Railways collaborated with Indian
School of Business, Hyderabad for a study on
‘An Integrated Coal-Freight Optimization Model’ to
increase network throughput and optimize freight
transportation over Indian Railways.
Note: In this regard, Letter of Agreement (LoA) was
exchanged between Shiva Prasad, Principal Chief
Operations Manager, South Central Railway (SCR)
and Milind Sohoni, Deputy Dean, Indian School of
Business. Exchange was done in the presence of
Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR and other
senior officials of Railways & ISB at Rail Nilayam,
Hyderabad, the zonal headquarters of the South
Central Railway zone of the Indian Railway.
55. FLO, the women wing of the FICCI has signed
an agreement with Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) Shillong and Incubation and
Enterprise Support Centre (IESC) to mentor
entrepreneurs.
Note: Under this Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU), FICCI FLO, IESC and IIM Shillong will jointly
provide guidance and mentor entrepreneurs by
facilitating a nurturing, instructive and supportive
environment during the initial and critical stages of
starting a business, thus enabling them to reduce
the initial startup costs and establish themselves in
a shorter timeframe.
56. The theme of the 3rd Global Renewable Energy
Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020) --
‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy
Transition’.
Note: During the three-day virtual conference, all
the leading companies displayed their latest
technological development in the field of renewable
energy and discuss various options available for
energy transition. Several world leaders, Energy
Ministers of 75 countries and 200 eminent speakers
attended the event. The summit is organised by the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The theme
for RE-Invest 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable
Energy Transition’.
57. PM Narendra Modi unveiled University of
Lucknow’s centennial commemorative coin of
Rs.100 over a virtual platform.
Note: He also released the commemorative stamp
issued by the India Post and its cover at the event
organised for the celebration of the 100th
Important News – State
1.
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Foundation day of the University of Lucknow. Yogi
Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh(UP),
Anandiben Patel, Governor of UP and Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also a Lok Sabha
member from Lucknow Constituency participated in
the event.
58. Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal
‘Nishank’ chaired the virtual national conference on
‘Empowering Through Zero (Shunya Se
Sashaktikaran)’, the conference was organized by
NGO Sri Aurobindo Society.
Note: It was organised by Sri Aurobindo Society.
Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ honoured over 40
education officers and 26 teachers for their
leadership role and innovative practices respectively
during COVID-19 pandemic. He launched an e-
book, ‘Innovation and Leadership Casebook – Covid
Edition’. It comprises the innovative efforts and
work of the education officers and teachers.
59. Narendra Singh Tomar has inaugurated
Honey Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO)
Programme in 5 states for producing honey.
Note: Aim: To address the issues faced by
beekeeping industry and also promote honey
production in the country increasing farmer’s
income. These 5 FPOs will be set up by National
Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of
India Limited (NAFED). It will be set up at East
Champaran (Bihar), Morena (Madhya Pradesh),
Bharatpur (Rajasthan), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and
Sunderbans (West Bengal).
60. Prakash Javadekar launched the India
Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Note: The portal will have all the major steps the
Government is taking at both national and
international levels to address the climate change
issues.It will be a single-point information resource
that provides information on the different climate
initiatives taken by various Line Ministries enabling
users to access d status on these initiatives.
61. The Government of India has approved the
construction of Song Dam Drinking Water Project
worth Rs 1100 crore in Dehradun.
Note: This scheme will provide 24-hour drinking
water to the city of Dehradun and will give a rebirth
to River Rispana. It one of the most important
projects of our government. Originally built on the
Song River, the dam is about 148 meters high and
aims to generate power up to six megawatts.
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1. Uttar Pradesh state government has launched a
special 10-day campaign to identify people suffering
from tuberculosis (TB) in the state.
Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to
make India TB-free by 2025. Under the door-to-door
campaign, which will end on November 11, health
workers will reach out to 81 lakh people, identify
those suffering from TB, screen them and help them
avail treatment at no cost.
2. The foundation stone of Indo-Israeli Centre of
Excellence for vegetables Protected Cultivation has
been laid down in Assam.
Note: The centre will provide exposure to the latest
Israeli technologies to the farmers of the state. It will
help them in maximising their production. The centre
is to provide a major boost to agricultural and
horticultural production in Assam. The aim is to
double farmers’ income in the region through
infusion of technology in agribusiness, agriculture
and food processing.
3. Rajasthan is going to ink an MoU with National
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) to establish 8000 MW
Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park of in border
area with Pakistan ________ Rajasthan.
Note: The state government will soon ink an MoU
with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to establish
Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park. The park to
be set up near borders areas will be of 8,000
megawatts (MW) capacity, which will comprise 4,310
MW of wind energy; 3,760 MW of solar energy and
120 MW of power from biomass. Currently,
Rajasthan’s solar generation capacity is 4,883 MW.
4. India’s first solar-powered miniature train
launched in Kerala.
Note: The train is first of its kind in the country. The
train, which would be an attraction for children
especially, was part of a string of projects totally
worth Rs 60 crore taken up to elevate the facilities at
the panoramic destination to international standards.
5. Tamil Nadu state government has granted 100%
motor vehicle tax exemption for Electric Vehicles.
Note: The State Government's order says after
careful examination it has decided to grant 100 per
cent tax exemption for all battery-operated transport
and non-transport vehicles. The State has been
taking various initiatives to boost the EV system in
the state. Tamil Nadu is planning to set up the
country's first park exclusively for the electric vehicle
production eco-system.
6. Maharshtra state government has signed
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth
around Rs 35,000 crore with 15 companies to
develop state as data and logistics hub in India.
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Note: The MoU was signed by 10 Indian and 5 global
companies at the ‘Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0’ investor
meet in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The event was
attended by the state’s Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav
Bal Thackeray. The MoUs were signed with the state-
run Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation
(MIDC) in the presence of Industries Minister
Subhash Desai and Minister of State (MoS) for
Industries Aditi Tatkare.
7. Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture,
Prahlad Singh Patel virtually inaugurated the “Tourist
Facilitation Centre” facility in Kerala.
Note: The facility has been constructed under the
project “Development of Guruvayur, Kerala” under
PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, at the
cost of Rs. 11.57 Crores. The ‘National Mission on
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage
Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) were launched by
the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15.
8. Tata Technologies has signed an agreement with
Karnataka state government to modernise 150
state-run ITIs.
Note: The project cost includes investment from the
state govt and also from the consortium of 20
companies led by Tata Technologies. The project is
expected to bring qualitative improvements in the
field of industrial training and education to create an
enhanced learning environment for training youth.
9. Kerala state’s tourism has been bestowed the
coveted 'Highly Commended' Award by World Travel
Mart London.
Note: Kerala tourism was recognised for its
remarkable activities aimed at promoting
Responsible Tourism (RT) during the challenging
times of COVID-19 pandemic. Kerala's Responsible
Tourism (RT) Mission received this recognition in the
category of 'Meaningful Connections.' This is the 5th
International Award for the Responsible Tourism
Mission since its formation in 2017.
10. India’s first solar-based Integrated Multi-Village
Water Supply Project (IMVWSP) was launched in
Arunachal Pradesh.
Note: The solar-based lift water supply project is
‘first of its kind’ in the country, and has been
commissioned at a cost of Rs 28.50 crore. However,
such projects will be carried out in other parts of the
country too. The project would provide drinking
water to 17,480 people in 39 villages of Lower
Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh.
11. Kerala state government has launched a
pioneering eco-sustainable programme called
‘Parivarthanam’, to improve the livelihood of the
fishing community.
Note: The scheme aims at improving the livelihood
skills of youngsters along the coastline and also
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enable socio-economic uplift of the fishermen
community. Parivarthanam, which means change,
will be headed by Kerala State Coastal Area
Development Corporation (KSCADC). The scheme
will promote the processing and marketing of clean
fish and its fresh products.
12. Hornbill Festival is celebrated in Nagaland, to
be celebrated online this year amidst COVID-19.
Note: This festival is also called the Festival of
Festivals. It is held every year from December 1 to
10, showcases the culture, heritage, food and
customs of Naga tribes. 16 tribes come together to
celebrate their traditions with dance performances.
Tourists from across the globe attend the 10-day
gala.
13. The International Bird Festival will be organized
in Uttar Pradesh in February 2021.
Note: Gorakhpur is developing in the tourism and
ecotourism sector and it is set to have a zoological
park in 2021. The International bird festival will
attract international level tourists for Gorakhpur lake
and bird watching. The forest department of Uttar
Pradesh has been instructed to materialize this bird
festival.
14. According to the 6th edition of United Kingdom
India Business Council’s (UKIBC) Doing Business in
India Report 2020 Maharshtra came out as the state
with maximum incremental improvement for third
year in a row.
Note: The UK Perspective” was virtually launched by
the UK Investment Minister Lord Gerry Grimstone at
a roundtable with Indian industrialists during his
virtual visit to India. In accordance to the report,
66% of the surveyed UK businesses found it easier
to do business in India due to progressive reforms
and improvements in components such as the
availability of support and service providers, skilled
labour, and supply chain.
15. Odisha state government has launched ‘Secha
Samadhan’ app for farmers.
Note: Farmers would receive all irrigation-related
information from the Water Resources Department
through the mobile application.
16. Haryana state government has launched ‘Project
Air Care’ through a public-private partnership.
Note: He also inaugurated a project for the
beautification of the Gateway of Gurugram on the
Mehrauli-Gurugram Road. The Air Purifiers have been
developed by CSIR-NEERI, IIT (Indian Institute of
Technology) Bombay.
17. Under chairmanship of Sandip Bhagat the
SEBI, set up a 7-member expert group to review the
frameworks of the share based employee benefits &
issue of sweat equity and recommend policy
changes.
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Note: The expert group will revisit the framework of
the sweat equity regulations against the companies
act and suggest required policy changes. The expert
group will make suggestions on whether it is
advisable to combine both the regulations. If the
norms of these regulations can be combined, the
panel will provide draft rules in this regard.
18. Jharkhand state government has passed a
resolution on ‘Sarna Code’ seeking separate Identity
Code for Tribal.
Note: The resolution seeks inclusion of Sarna as a
separate religion in the 2021 census. Jharkhand
Chief Minister Hemant Soren tabled the proposal in
the Jharkhand Assembly. he bill will now be sent to
the Central Government for approval.
19. Asia’s First Solar Power-Enabled Textile Mill to
come up in Maharashtra.
Note: The Textile Mill is spread across Thirty acres of
land and will process cotton to cloth. Once
Functional, the mill will provide jobs to many women
in the district. Ginning, Pressing, Weaving and
Spinning of cotton will be done in the mill itself. It is
being set up at a cost of INR 100 Crores and will add
momentum to the industrial sector in the district.
20. Assam state received the best state award
under the category of best hilly and North Eastern
State in Fisheries.
Note: Assam has got the best state award under the
category of best hilly and North Eastern state. Assam
Apex Cooperative Fish Marketing and Processing
Federation Limited (FISHFED) has been selected
under the category of best hilly and North eastern
government organization.
21. Odisha state bagged the eminent ‘Best Marine
State’ award which was announced by the Union
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Note: The award will be bestowed on 21st
November, which is World Fisheries Day by the
department. Along with recognition, 10 lakh amount
will be given. The awards are a great boost to
fisheries sector, especially during the COVID-19
times. In 2019, India exported Rs 47,000 crores of
fisheries.
22. Madhya Pradesh state government has decided
to set up a ‘Gau Cabinet’ for the protection,
conservation and promotion of cows in the state.
Note: The Cabinet will comprise of the departments
of animal husbandry, forests, panchayat and rural
development, revenue, home and farmers
welfare.The first meeting of the Cabinet will be held
at 12 pm on ‘Gopashtami’ on November 22 at the
Cow Sanctuary in Agar-Malwa district named
‘Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaranya ‘.
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23. Punjab state government has launched
Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojana’ to empower persons
with disabilities in a virtual meeting.
Note: The Scheme will be implemented in Two
Phases. Phase-I will strengthen the existing
programmes to ensure that benefits reach people
with disabilities.Phase-II will introduce 13 new
interventions proposed to be undertaken for
empowerment of such persons.
24. Gwalior city of Madhya Pradesh a digital
Museum has been opened for the public.
Note: It is the first center of its kind in Gwalior and
Bundelkhand area and will play a role in educating
school students. In the Digital Museum, the
architectural styles, objects, costumes, lifestyle,
musical instruments, jewelry, handicrafts, cultural
tradition, painting and many genres of paintings
have been digitally displayed in a modern way.
25. Manipur state introduced award for civil
servants to promote good governance.
Note: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched
“Scheme for Chief Minister’s Award for Good
Governance” to recognise and reward progressive
and extraordinary work executed by authorities
officers that promotes good governance.
26. Puducherry has rolled out a free breakfast
scheme for school students.
Note: The scheme is named named after the late
DMK President M Karunanidhi, for government and
government aided school students at Jeevanandham
Government Higher Secondary School. The scheme
was an apt tribute to Karunanidhi who championed
the cause of downtrodden and poor people and was
keenly interested in the development and welfare of
people of Puducherry while taking efforts to ensure
the rights of states.
27. The International Cherry Blossom Festival hosted
every year by Meghalaya state that has been
cancelled this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Note: It is the only Cherry festival being conducted
in India. The India International Cherry blossom
festival is organised by the Government of
Meghalaya every year.
28. India’s First Moss Garden was inaugurated in
Uttarakhand state.
Note: The Garden has been set up for the purpose of
conservation of different species of moss. It will also
serve the purpose of generating awareness among
people regarding the importance of Moss in the
environment
29. First cow hospital of North East inaugurated in
Assam.
Note: A cow shelter in Assam’s Dibrugarh
inaugurated Northeast’s first-ever cow hospital, on
the occasion of Gopashtami. The hospital, Surbhi
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Aarogyashala, is set up by Shree Gopal Gaushala at
a cost of Rs 17 lakh. The hospital will provide
services in 30 km radius. There are 368 cows in the
shelter.
30. Prime minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Har
Ghar Nal Yojna’ to provide tap water for every
household in Uttar Pradesh.
Note: Government was committed to solving the
water scarcity problem and hence the scheme of
worth ₹5,555 crores was launched in the state. The
scheme will benefit 21,87,980 villagers in Mirzapur.
In Sonbhadra, 19,53,458 families will be benefitted
by the scheme. Rs 3212.18 crore and Rs 2343.20
crore will be spent under the scheme. The total cost
of the scheme is Rs 5555.38 crore.
31. Karnataka state has set a target to become a
USD 50 billion biotechnology market by 2025.
Note: The government released its first draft of the
Bio-economy Report 2020 at the Bengaluru Tech
Summit, highlighting achievements and earmarking
targets for the next five years. bThe report also
claims that the same has grown by 14-17 per cent in
the previous two years and that the state contributes
10.3 per cent to the gross state domestic product
(GSDP) of USD 221.82 billion.
32. Himachal Pradesh.has launched the ‘Him
Suraksha Abhiyan’ to collect real-time data on the
health profile of entire state.
Note: Under this Abhiyan about 8000 teams
comprising of Health, Ayurveda, Women and Child
Development, Panchayati Raj Departments, District
Administration and NGOs would be involved in this
campaign. It would ensure door to door data
collection of health parameters of the people.
33. The 10th edition of prestigious National science
film festival was organized by Vigyan Prasar,
Department of Science and Technology (GoI) and
Council of Science and Technology of Tripura.
Note: The science film festival offers a unique
platform to showcase the science films made by
professionals, amateur and student filmmakers under
various themes, to promote science films in India.A
total of 372 films in different languages were
received for participation, of which 115 films have
been shortlisted by the ten-member jury to be
screened during the festival. These films are in Hindi,
English, Urdu, Malayalam, Kashmiri, Bengali,
Marathi, Punjabi and Tamil languages.
34. West Bengal government has launched
“Government At Doorstep” scheme.
Note: To run until Gandhi Jayanti on January 30, the
initiative will attempt to ship pending companies to
folks. From 11 am to 3 pm every day from December
1, government camps will be held in every block in
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the state where people can come and demand any
service they have not received yet.
35. Tamil Nadu state government has launched
‘Thee’, a mobile phone-based application for the
benefit of the general public to reach out to the Fire
and Rescue Services when in need.
Note: The application has been designed to help the
general public in case of fire accidents, floods,
mishaps in deep wells, rescue of wildlife, chemical or
gas leaks, among other accidents. Arrangements
have been made to facilitate people in need getting
help within 10 seconds of their using the app.
Important News – World
1.
1. Russia chaired the recently held BRICS Business
Forum to increase trade and investment among the
member countries of BRICS.
Note: The council was formed in 2013 summit in
Durban. Since its establishment, the primary task of
BRICS Business council is to increase trade and
investment among the member countries of BRICS.
Russia chaired the meet as it is currently holding
the rotating leadership of BRICS. Around 90
speakers from the member countries participated at
the forum. One of the main tasks of the council is to
update the Strategy for Economic Partnership of
BRICS.
2. Once completed world’s longest immersed
tunnel, Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will link Denmark and
Germany.
Note: After more than a decade of planning, work
has begun on the world’s longest immersed tunnel.
Descending up to 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea,
Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will link Denmark and
Germany, slashing journey times when it opens in
2029. The tunnel, which will be 18 kilometers (11.1
miles) long, is one of Europe’s largest infrastructure
projects, with a construction budget of over €7
billion ($8.2 billion).
3. Qatar to go for first national election.
Note: Qatar’s ruler announced that a vote to review
the policy of the country is to be held in October
2021. This is the first of its kind in the region.
Currently, un-elected Shura Council advises the
absolute ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-
Thani. Laws in Qatar can be overruled by a simple
decree.
4. Bangladesh has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Serum Institute of India for
priority delivery of 3 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Note: This COVISHIELD Vaccines was developed by
AstraZeneca and University of Oxford. According to
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36. Rajasthan government has signed a Letter of
Understanding (LoU) with United Nation's World Food
Programme (WFP) for proposed participation to
achieve food and nutritional security goals.
Note: On the basis of the signed MoU, WFP
authorities have signed the LoU with various
government departments to develop a partnership
with them. The Civil Supplies Department of
Rajasthan had signed an MoU with the UN to achieve
sustainable goal development.
the agreement, initially 1.5 crore people will be
vaccinated as each person requires two vaccine
doses. Currently there are three COVID-19 vaccines
under trial in India.
5. The Oil India Limited is decided to brought a new
technique snubbing unit from Canada to control the
oil well blowout in Assam’s Baghjan.
Note: The Oil India Limited owned Baghjan well
erupted on May 27, 2020. It has been burning for
more than five months now. The fire damaged the
highly sensitive ecosystem in the region. It
displaced more than 9,000 people. The fire is still
uncontrollable even after five months of continuous
efforts. In order to put off the fire, a snubbing unit
is being brought from Canada.
6. In coordination with Andhra Pradesh the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has launched “Go
Electric” campaign.
Note: The Andhra Pradesh State Government is to
set up 400 Electric Vehicle charging vehicles all over
the state to promote the usage of electric vehicles.
This is to be achieved in coordination with the “Go
Electric” campaign of BEE. The main of the step is
to attract investment in the EV sector by setting up
charging stations and electric vehicle infrastructure.
7. USA become the only country to formally pull out
of the Paris climate accord since it was adopted in
2015.
Note: With this, the US has now become the only
country to formally pull out of the deal since it was
adopted in 2015. The landmark Paris climate
agreement was signed in 2015 to protect the planet
from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. As
per the rules of the agreement, a country cannot
officially leave before one full year of notifying the
UN of its intent to withdraw.
8. The governor of Reserve Bank of India chaired
the 40th Meeting of the SAARCFINANCE Governors’
Group was held virtually.
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Note: The meeting was attended by the Governors
from SAARC central banks. During the meeting, Mr
Das also inaugurated the SAARCFINANCE Sync, a
closed user group secure communication network.
The group took stock of the macroeconomic
situation in the SAARC region; discussed the current
SAARCFINANCE initiatives; and the way ahead. The
Governors reaffirmed their commitment to
continued co-operation and sharing of central bank
experiences.
9. Virgin Hyperloop successfully completed the first-
ever human trial in the hyperloop pod at the 500
metre DevLoop test facility in United States of
America.
Note: Josh Giegel, Co-Founder and Chief
Technology Officer, Virgin Hyperloop and Sara
Luchian, Director of Passenger Experience of Virgin
Hyperloop, were the first people in the world to ride
on Hyperloop. They travelled 500 metres in 15
seconds in newly-unveiled XP-2 vehicle, reaching
107 mph (172 Km per hour). The testing campaign
will continue with Pune native and Virgin Hyperloop
Power Electronics Specialist, Tanay Manjrekar to
ride next in Hyperloop.
10. A pictorial anthology on Mahatma Gandhi was
released by Nepal in their language meaning ‘My
understanding about Gandhi.
Note: Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal
released a pictorial anthology on Mahatma Gandhi
in Nepali language, titled ‘Maile Bujheko Gandhi’(the
Gandhi as I understood or ‘My understanding about
Gandhi’)at a special function in Shital Niwas,
Kathmandu in the presence of Vinay Mohan Kwatra,
Ambassador of India to Nepal. The book was
published by the Embassy of India along with B. P.
Koirala India-Nepal Foundation.
11. The Second World Health Expo is being held in
Wuhan city of China.
Note: The World Health Expo will showcase the
Latest Technology in Fitness Sports and the most
realistically restored anti-epidemic Scenes. It will
feature 12 different venues for audiences to
experience the most frontier health technology
12. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project is
being installed at Maunakea in Hawaii.
Note: The project will revolutionize the
understanding of the universe and mysteries
surrounding it. The TMT project is an international
partnership project between CalTech, Universities of
California, Canada, Japan, China, and India;
through the Department of Science and Technology
(DST) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
13. Narendra Modi represented India in the 20th
Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
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(SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) 2020
presided over by Russian President Vladimir
Vladimirovich Putin.
Note: This was the first SCO Summit held in Virtual
Format and the third meeting that India participated
after becoming a full member in 2017. It should be
noted that President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan
will assume the chairmanship of SCO in 2021.
14. Tajikistan will assume the chairmanship of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2021.
Note: This was the first SCO Summit held in Virtual
Format and the third meeting that India participated
after becoming a full member in 2017. It should be
noted that President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan
will assume the chairmanship of SCO in 2021.
15. The theme of the 12th BRICS summit that is to
be hosted by Russia -- “Global Stability, Shared
Security and Innovative Growth”.
Note: The summit is to be held under the theme
“Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative
Growth”. The BRICS members to participate in the
meeting are China, India, Brazil, Russia and South
Africa.
16. Two countries Japan and Australia have
signed the “Reciprocal Access Agreement” to
counter the growing influence of China in the South
China sea and in the Pacific Island Nations.
Note: The defence agreement has taken six years
of negotiations. This will bring the countries closer
amidst militarization in South China sea and series
of disputes over islands in East China sea.This is the
first agreement of Japan to allow foreign military
presence in its sovereign territory since 1960.
17. United Nations organization in association
with “the Vaccine Confidence Project” of University
of London launched “Team Halo” to counter
misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines.
Note: More than 100 scientists from different parts
of the world have come together under the
project.Team Halo aims to tackle misinformation on
safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Under the initiative, the scientists will create social-
media friendly videos on COVID-19 vaccine science
based on their personal experiences.
18. London city emerged as the best city in the
“World’s Best Cities for 2021” list released by the
Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy Ltd.
Note: London was followed by USA’s New York.
Only one Indian city Delhi, made it to the list, taking
the 62nd position. Paris (France), Moscow (Russia),
Tokyo (Japan), Dubai (UAE), Singapore, Barcelona
(Spain), Los Angeles (USA), and Madrid (Spain)
took the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth,
ninth, and tenth rank respectively.The other cities
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that were named are Rome (Italy) and Toronto
(Canada).
19. The 15th East Asia Summit held virtually was
chaired by Vietnam.
Note: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
represented India at the 15th East Asia Summit
(EAS) on behalf of the PM. The Summit Meeting
discussed ways and means to strengthen the EAS
platform and to make it more responsive to
emerging challenges on its 15th anniversary.
20. The Guadalajara of Mexico named World Book
Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of
UNESCO.
Note: The city was selected for its comprehensive
plan for policies around the book to trigger social
change, combat violence and build a culture of
peace. Tbilisi (Georgia) was named as the World
Book Capital 2021 and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) for
2020.
21. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched
the global strategy to fast track the eradication of
cervical cancer by -- 2050.
Note: For the first time, 194 countries, including
India, committed to eliminate cancer, following the
adoption of a resolution at the World Health
Assembly 2020 in Geneva. The countries should
vaccinate 90% of girls aged 15 years with the HPV
vaccine by 2030, while 70% of women up to the
age of 35 years should be screened using a high-
performance test and 90% of women of up to 45
years diagnosed with cervical cancer must receive
treatment.
22. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit was recently hosted by Malaysia.
Note: The Summit was attended by the US
President Donald Trump as well. The next APEC
meeting is to be hosted by New Zealand. The APEC
Putrajaya Vision 2040 was adopted during the
Summit. It envisions and open, resilient peaceful
Asia Pacific community by 2040.
23. According to the Worldwide Cost of Living
(WCOL) annual report from the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) which group of cities
emerged as the most expensive cities of the world -
-- Hong Kong, Paris and Zurich.
Note: According to the Worldwide Cost of Living
(WCOL) annual report from the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) revealed that Singapore and
Osaka, which were joint first in 2019, have slid
down the rankings to fourth and fifth place
respectively. Cities in the Americas, Africa and
eastern Europe have become less expensive since
2019, whilst western European cities have become
pricier.
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24. Finland and India signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) in the field of biodiversity
conservation and environment protection.
Note: The agreement was signed by the
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and his
counterpart Krista Mikkonen of Finland. According to
the Memorandum of Understanding, the countries
will exchange their best practices in areas such as
prevention of air and water pollution, waste
management, low carbon solutions, sustainable
management of natural resources and promotion of
circular economy. Also, it will help the countries to
develop technological, scientific and management
capabilities.
25. United Arab Amirates is all set to become the
first Arab Gulf country, and probably the last, to
generate electricity from coal.
Note: In this regard, the company has already
inked a long time agreement with Japan’s Jera Co
under which the latter will supply coal. The capacity
of the plant will be 600 megawatts (MW) initially
which will be increased to 2,400 MW by 2023.
26. India has revived the Indian Ocean troika with
two countries Maldives and Sri Lanka to promote
the “meaningful cooperation” in the Indian Ocean
region on maritime security.
Note: Mauritius and Seychelles joined as observers
through virtual mode. In a shift from the past, the
National Security Advisors of India, Sri Lanka and
Maldives decided — after their in-person trilateral
meeting in Colombo — to broad-base the maritime
security dialogue and include “terrorism”,
“radicalisation”, “extremism”, “drugs”, “arms and
human. trafficking”, “money laundering” and
“cybersecurity” as they decided to cooperate in
these areas of common concern.This is the first time
that NSA Ajit Doval participated in the trilateral
dialogue as the group has not met since March
2014.
27. The Hualong One is a first domestically made
nuclear reactor of China country that goes online
recently.
Note: It is a significant step in Beijing’s attempts to
become less dependent on Western allies for energy
security and critical technology. The reactor, which
was connected to the national grid, can generate 10
billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and cut
carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons.
28. India hosted the Heads of Government (HoG)
council meeting of the eight-nation Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2020.
Note: The Summit was chaired by Vice President
Venkaiah Naidu. This is the first time that a
Summit-level Meeting will be held under India's
Chairmanship since it gained full membership of the
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organisation in 2017. The Prime Ministers from the
SCO Member States of Russia, China, Kazakhstan,
Honor & Awards
1.
1. Paul Zacharia has been selected for
‘Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2020’, the highest literary
prize of Kerala.
Note: Zacharia was chosen for his contribution to
Malayalam literature during the past five decades. A
five-member jury, headed by Kerala Sahitya
Akademi President Vyshakhan, selected him for the
award. ‘Salam America’, ‘Oridath, ‘Aarkkariyam’,
‘Bhaskara patelarum ente jeevithavum’ are among
his various literary works. Zacharia also won the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979 and the
Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2004.
2. For Gully Boy Karsh Kale and the Salvage Audio
Collective won the Best Original Music Award 2020 in
14th Asian Film Awards (AFA14).
Note: Karsh Kale and the Salvage Audio Collective
won the Best Original Music Award 2020 for the film
Gully Boy directed by Zoya Akhtar. Yang Ik-Joon,
South Korean Actor and Director presented the
Award. The film Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh as
the budding rappers who achieve his dream with his
music about his life on the streets of Mumbai.
3. The 14th Asian Film Awards (AFA14) held in
Busan.
Note: Karsh Kale and the Salvage Audio Collective
won the Best Original Music Award 2020 for the film
Gully Boy directed by Zoya Akhtar. Yang Ik-Joon,
South Korean Actor and Director presented the
Award. The film Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh as
the budding rappers who achieve his dream with his
music about his life on the streets of Mumbai.
4. Indian Army chief General M. M. Naravane was
conferred the honorary rank of General by Nepal.
Note: He has also presented a sword and scroll
during the function held at the President’s official
residence ‘ShitalNiwas’ in Kathmandu. The tradition,
which started in 1950, reflects the strong ties
between the two militaries. Gen. K. M. Cariappa was
the first Indian Army chief to be decorated with the
title in 1950.
5. Indian Movie Natkhat has won the top prize at
the third edition of Best of India Short Film Festival
2020, thus becomes eligible for 2021 Oscar
qualification.
Note: By winning the festival, the film has become
eligible for 2021 Oscar qualification. The film has
been directed by Shaan Vyas and co-produced by
Ronnie Screwvala and Vidya Balan. The film also won
cash prize money of $2,500 (approximately Rs
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Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will attend
the SCO meeting.
1,85,497) and an opportunity for a television
broadcast deal on ShortsTV.
6. Kerala’s tourism has been bestowed the coveted
'Highly Commended' Award by World Travel Mart
London.
Note: Kerala tourism was recognised for its
remarkable activities aimed at promoting
Responsible Tourism (RT) during the challenging
times of COVID-19 pandemic. Kerala's Responsible
Tourism (RT) Mission received this recognition in the
category of 'Meaningful Connections.' This is the 5th
International Award for the Responsible Tourism
Mission since its formation in 2017.
7. Karkhanisanchi Waar becomes the only Indian
entry at Tokyo Film Festival.
Note: Marathi film, Karkhanisanchi Waari (Ashes on
a Road Trip), the 149-minute film tells the story of
the Karkhanis, the last joint family of Pune. The
movie was directed by Mangesh Joshi. The movie will
have its world premiere at the 33rd Tokyo
International Film Festival. It is the only Indian entry
at the festival.
8. S Hareesh has won the JCB Prize for Literature
2020 for his novel Moustache.
Note: It has been translated into English by Jayasree
Kalathil & published by HarperCollins India. The JCB
Prize for Literature is regarded as the richest literary
prize in India. As per the norm, the Malayalam
author will receive a Rs 25 lakh cash prize and the
translator will receive an additional Rs 10 lakh.
9. Dr Satish Mishra has won the “Dr. Tulsi Das
Chugh Award 2020”.
Note: The research was focused on “Secreted
Protein with Altered Thrombospondin Repeat
(SPATR) which is Essential for Asexual Blood Stages
but not Required for Hepatocyte Invasion by the
Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Berghei”. The study was
focused on the dispensability of SPATR in
Plasmodium berghei sporozoite and its importance
for the establishment of blood stage infection.
10. Ruskin Bond conferred with Tata Literature Live
Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 for his
outstanding contribution in the field of literary.
Note: Apart from this, lyricist Javed Akhtar has been
named as the Poet Laureate of the Tata Literature
Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2020. Tata Literature Live!:
It recognises exceptional work and outstanding
contribution to writing and literature and poetry in
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India which has made a significant impact in the
Indian literary field.
11. Sadat Rahman has won the International
Children’s Peace Prize 2020 for his work to stop
cyberbullying of teens.
Note: The award was given away by the Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai during a ceremony in
the Netherlands. The prize is given away by the
international children’s rights organization
KidsRights. The prize was launched by KidsRights
during the 2005 World Summit of Nobel Peace
Laureates in Rome.
12. Azim Premji topped in the 7th edition of the
EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2020 released
by the Hurun India and EdelGive Foundation.
Note: Azim Premji, the founder and Chairman of
Wipro topped the 2020 list. Azim Premji became
India’s Most Generous man with a donation of
Rs.7904 crores. The list featured the individuals who
have donated Rs.5 crores and more during the
review period (from 1st April 2019 to 31st March
2020).
13. The Madan Jeet Singh Prize is being awarded by
UNESCO every year for the promotion of tolerance
and nonviolence on International Day for
Tolerance.
Note: The day is celebrated to increase awareness
about importance of tolerance in the society. It also
aims to increase awareness among people about the
negative effects of intolerance. The Madan Jeet Singh
Prize is being awarded by UNESCO every year for the
promotion of tolerance and nonviolence.
14. The Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokriyal
‘Nishank’ inaugurated the Lilavati Awards which is an
initiative of All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE).
Note: The award is an initiative of All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE). The Lilavati Award
aims to recognise the efforts of AICTE affiliated
institutions in treating women. The Lilavati Awards
are to be presented based on the theme of women
empowerment.
15. Bhutan’s Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay
Choden Wangchuck has been awarded the United
Nations Population Award in the individual category
for 2020.
Note: The awardee in the organisational category is
HelpAge India that works on elder care. Only two
Indians have been awarded in the past four decades
since the award was established in 1981: former
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1983 and
industrialist-philanthropist J.R.D.Tata in 1992.
16. Udhampur district has been conferred with
National Award for water conservation under Jeevika
Project launched by the District Administration.
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Note: The project aims to increase the assured
irrigation of Agriculture land and conservation of
water and was conceptualized by the District
Development Commissioner Dr. Piyush Singla. The
project envisages development of sustainable
ecosystems through water conservation to enhance
the livelihood for small and marginal farmers.
17. Dr Susanta Kar has been awarded Prof. A N
Bhaduri Memorial Lecture Award 2020.
Note: The award is conferred in every two years.
Recipient of the award should be below 50 years of
age. Award is given for Biological Chemistry and
Allied sciences, preferably related to parasitic
infections. Awardee has to deliver an award oration
at the Annual Meeting of SBC(I).
18. Nasiruddin Shah has been bestowed with the
2020 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar at
annual Sangit Kala Kendra Awards.
Note: Alongside, two emerging stars, in the
firmament of theatrics – Neel Choudhary and Irawati
Karnik were awarded the Aditya Vikram Birla
Kalakiran Puraskars. “Theatre” is the central theme,
for this year’s awards. The Aditya Vikram Birla
Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Puraskar awards, were
instituted in 1996 by the Sangeet Kala Kendra (SKK),
which was founded in 1973 by Aditya Vikram Birla
(former Chairman of Aditya Birla Group), to honor
excellence in theatre and performing arts.
19. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has received the
Vatayan Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 for
his contribution to the literary works of India.
Note: The award was presented to him by the
Vatayan-UK organization in London, England. The
Vatayan-UK felicitation ceremony organised as a
virtual event by the British Institution Group in
England. Along with Minister of Education, Manoj
Muntashir, famous poet and lyricist won the
International Vatayan Literary award 2020 at the
Vatayan-UK felicitation ceremony.
20. Web series Delhi Crime has won the best drama
series honour at the 48th International Emmy
Awards.
Note: Told from the perspective of the Delhi Police
team investigating the crime that made global
headlines, the series deconstructs the case of the 23-
year-old physiotherapy intern who was abducted and
gangraped in a moving bus on the night of December
16, 2012 before she was abandoned on a Delhi
road.Actor Shefali Shah played Vartika Chaturvedi,
whose character on “Delhi Crime” was based on
former Delhi Police DCP Chaya Sharma who cracked
the case of the brutal gangrape within 72 hours.
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21. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve received the first-ever
international award, TX2, for doubling the number of
tigers in four years against a target of 10 years.
Note: In this regard, the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR)
of Uttar Pradesh (UP) under the UP Forest
department has bagged the first-ever international
award, TX2, for doubling the number of tigers in four
years against a target of 10 years. The PTR had 25
tigers in 2014 which went up to 65 in 2018. The
award was virtually presented to the principal chief
conservator of forest (wildlife) of the state, Sunil
Pandey, by UNDP’s (United Nations Development
Program) head of ecosystems and biodiversity,
Mindori Paxton.
22. Indian student Vinisha Umashankar (14-
years) won the prestigious 5th Children’s Climate
Prize 2020 for designing a mobile ironing cart using
Sports News
1.
1. Amit Panghal won the gold medal in Alexis
Vastine International Boxing Tournament in Nantes,
France in 52kg category.
Note: World silver-medallist Amit Panghal (52kg)
won gold medal at the Alexis Vastine international
boxing tournament in Nantes. Panghal defeated
American Rene Abraham 3-0. Sanjeet beat
Frenchman Soheb Bouafia.
2. Jio won the sponsor title of the BCCI’s 2020
edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge.
Note: The partnership will also have the support of
Reliance Foundation Education and Sports For All
(RF ESA). This is a historic partnership, as for the
first time a sponsor has signed with BCCI
exclusively for the women’s matches. The Jio
Women’s T20 Challenge to be played from 4th
November to 9th November will be held in Sharjah.
3. Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One Emilia-
Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy.
Note: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the
Formula One Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in
Italy. The second prize was won by another
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. A Red Bull driver,
Daniel Ricciardo, won the third prize. Mercedes won
the 2020 constructors’ championship.
4. Renowned Australian cricketer Shane Robert
Watson announced retirement from all forms of
Cricket.
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solar panels to power a steam iron box rather than
conventional charcoal.
Note: Vinisha will receive the prize of 100,000
Swedish krona (Rs 8.64 lakh approximately),
diploma, and medal from the Sweden-based
Children’s Climate Foundation at a digital event. This
is the fifth edition of the Children’s Climate Prize —
one of the world’s largest international climate
awards for young innovators.
23. Neha Mahajan and Ricky Martin bagged a
Grammy Awards nomination in the Best Latin Pop or
Urban Album category.
Note: Ricky Martin's album Pausa recently received
a Grammy nomination in the Best Latin Pop or Urban
Album category.Sitar player Neha Mahajan
collaborated with the singer on the song Mi
Sangre.The singer's album, Pausa was nominated by
the Recording Academy.
Note: He had already announced retirement from
International Cricket in 2015 but was playing
Franchise-based Cricket tournaments such as Indian
Premier League (IPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL).
He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed
fast medium bowler. He made his debut for the
Australian cricket team in 2002, playing his first
One Day International against South Africa.
5. Daniil Medvedev has won the Paris Master 2020
title in tennis.
Note: He became the fourth Russian to capture the
Rolex Paris Masters title. The World No. 5 earned
his first service break at 4-4 in the second set and
charged to the title from that point by winning eight
of the final nine games.
6. Chen Meng has won the International Table
Tennis Federation (ITTF) Women’s World Cup table
tennis title in held in Weihai, China.
Note: The world number one Chen Meng beat
Chinese compatriot Sun Yingsha to win her maiden
International Table Tennis Federation(ITTF)
Women’s World Cup table tennis title in held in
Weihai, China. The 2020 ITTF Women’s World Cup
was the 24th edition of the ITTF-sanctioned event.
7. Mumbai Indian team has won the 13th Edition
of the Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020.
Note: A total of 8 teams participated in the event.
Delhi Capitals became the runner up in the 13th
edition of IPL. Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals won
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the Player of the Series. Mumbai Indians won their
5th IPL Title by defeating First-Time Finalists Delhi
Capitals by 5 wickets in the Final at Dubai
International Cricket Stadium. Title Winners Mumbai
Indians received INR 20 Crore as Prize Money,
whereas Finalists Delhi Capital received an amount
of INR 12.5 Crore.
8. Aryna Sabalenka won the Linz Open tennis
single title for 2020.
Note: The 22-year-old Sabalenka finished the
season in style with a straight-sets victory over her
doubles partner Elise Mertens in final in Austria. She
traded places with Williams, who dropped one spot
to 11th and hasn't played since pulling out of the
French Open with an Achilles injury.
9. Federation Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) cancelled the Women Under-17 world cup
due to COVID-19 pandemic and postponed to 2021,
the tournament was to be held in India.
Note: It has been postponed to 2021. The 2020
FIFA Women Under-17 World Cup was to be held in
India. Both Under-17 and Under-20 women’s World
cup were to be held in India. This has been
cancelled and the country has been awarded to host
the 2022 cup. FIFA announced that Costa Rica will
host the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup 2022
and India will host FIFA Under-17 Women’s World
Cup 2022.
10. Novak Djokovic has been awarded with ATP
Tour No. 1 trophy for finishing as the top ranked
player for the sixth time in his career.
Note: With this, he has become the only second
player in tennis history, after Pete Sampras, to
receive the trophy sixth time. Earlier Djokovic had
finished as world number one in 2011, 2012, 2014,
2015 and 2018. Before this, only Pete Sampras has
managed to finish six years on top of the rankings
which he did between 1993 and 1998.
11. Sudeep Tyagi is associated with Cricket has
announced his retirement.
Note: Indian cricketer, Sudeep Tyagi has
announced his retirement from all forms of the
cricket. The 33-year-old had played for the Indian
national cricket team in four ODIs and a lone T20I
as a fast bowler. Apart from this, the right-arm
medium-fast bowler had also featured in 14 games
in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai
Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
12. Daniil Medvedev has won the ATP tennis
tournament, the second highest tier of men’s Tennis
Tournament after the Grand Slam held in London.
Note: The ATP tournament is the second highest
tier of men’s Tennis Tournament after the Grand
Books and Authors
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Slam. The tournament was first held in 1970. He is
a Russian tennis player at rank number 4 under ATP
ranking. He was born in Moscow.
13. Lewis Hamilton has won the Turkish Grand
Prix 2020.
Note: Sergio Perez secured the second position and
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished third. This was
Hamilton 10th victory of the season and 94th F1 win
of his career. With this win, he claimed the seventh
Formula One championships title of his career to
equal the record of Michael Schumacher.
14. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports granted the
annual recognition as a National Sports Federation
(NSF) to Archery Association of India
Note: AAI's recognition was withdrawn by the
ministry on December 7, 2012 on account of its
failure to conduct elections in accordance with the
sports code despite the directions of the High Court.
This comes after AAI's independent elections and
revocation of suspension by the World Archery and
Indian Olympic Association. The recognition will be
valid for one year.
15. Avinash Sable set a new national record in
winning the 16th Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM).
Note: He is specialises in 3000m steeplechase. He
completed his win in 1:00:30sec to become the only
Indian to finish half a marathon in less than 61
minutes. In the 2019 World Athletics
Championships, Sable had clocked 8 minutes 21.37
seconds in the men's 3000m steeplechase final to
qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
16. Belgium country topped the FIFA Ranking in
Nov 2020.
Note: Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA), has released the international
rankings for November 2020. Nonetheless, the top
six spots remain unchanged in the rankings.
Belgium has kept their place on the top, followed by
France, Brazil, England, and Portugal. Mexico and
Italy back in top 10 after nine and four years
respectively.
17. India’s rank in the recently released FIFA
ranking -- 104th.
Note: Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA), has released the international
rankings for November 2020. Nonetheless, the top
six spots remain unchanged in the rankings.
Belgium has kept their place on the top, followed by
France, Brazil, England, and Portugal. Mexico and
Italy back in top 10 after nine and four years
respectively.
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1.
1. World’s 1st scientoon book titled “Bye Bye
Corona” is authored by Pradeep Srivastava.
Note: World’s 1st scientoon book entitled “Bye Bye
Corona”, was released by Anandiben Patel,
Governor, Uttar Pradesh. The book was written by
‘scientoonist’ Dr Pradeep Srivastava, former Senior
Principal Scientist at CSIR-Central Drug Research
Institute, Lucknow. It is further planned to make a
3D version of the book. The book has been
published by Vigyan Prasar.
2. Tamal Bandyopadhyay authored the book
titled “Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking
Tragedy”.
Note: This book, published by Roli Books, provides
an understanding of the challenges and economic
potential of India. The book “Pandemonium”
accounts how many promoters had swapped equity
with debt while the managements of the banks were
finding a way to protect their balance sheets until
the intervention of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
against their bad loans.
3. Ajay Kumar Parida authored the book titled
“The Age of Pandemic (1817-1920): How they
Shaped India And the World.
Note: The book is published by HarperCollins India
and is set to release in December 2020. It
documents the scale of devastation, cause and
consequences and the resilience of the people
during the pandemics. It also portrays the
continuing relevance of learning from the disaster
that affected the nation and the ways to combat the
challenges like COVID-19.
4. Anupam Kher authored the book titled “Your
Best Day Is Today!”.
Note: Through this book, Kher will recount his
experiences during the lockdown, several ups and
downs, including the time when his mother Dulari
and brother Raju Kher had contracted the virus. His
previous books are his biography Lessons Life
Taught Me Unknowingly & The Best Thing About You
is You. He is also a recipient of two National Film
Awards.
5. Sasindran Kallinkeel authored the novel titled
“Rasaathi: The Other Side of a Transgender”.
Note: The main character in the novel, published by
BookMitra, is a transgender named Rasaathi born in
a well-to-do family in South India. Rasaathi,
meaning princess, is in the late 40s who wants
people to treat transgenders like human beings by
showering love, affection, sympathy and recognise
their pathetic and horrible life.
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6. Rajendra Darda has authored the book titled
‘Majhi Bhint’ (My Wall) written in Martahi language
released by Bhagat Singh Koshyari, governor of
Maharashtra.
Note: The book is a compilation of selected
Facebook posts of Rajendra Darda that pertains to a
range of issues written over the last four years. The
book contains the experiences of the author’s world
travel. This will give the readers the same joy of
world travel. The interspersing of the Marathi write-
ups with Hindi couplets by the author has further
enriched the book.
7. Ruskin Bond has authored the book titled ‘How
to Be a Writer’.
Note: The book gives a glimpse into the writing
credo of Ruskin Bond, the author who has over 70
years of successful writing career. As per Ruskin
Bond, to become a writer, the person must have the
following qualities-love of books, languages and life,
an observant eye, a good memory, enthusiasm,
optimism and persistence.
8. The book titled ‘Leading with Empathy’ is a
Biography of Jacinda Ardern.
Note: Jacinda Ardern:Leading with Empathy’ – A
Biography of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern will be published in 2021 by HarperCollins.
The book will be authored by Supriya Vani and Carl
A Harte.
9. The book titled ‘Boskiyana’ has been published
by Radhakrishna Prakashan is on life of which
Indian poet and lyricist Gulzar.
Note: The book portrays the life of Gulzar through
his films, poetry, philosophies, lifestyle, likes and
dislikes. The 228-page book is edited by Yashwant
Vyas. ‘Boskiyana’ is the name of the house of
Gulzar in Mumbai. The book expresses the
personality of Gulzar through detailed conversations
and reveals his thoughts and vision of the world.
10. The book titled “'I Am No Messiah” is an
autobiography of Sonu Sood.
Note: The book will be co-authored by Meena Iyer.
Written in the first person, the book will reveal the
emotional and often challenging journeys he
undertook along with the people he rescued.
11. Rachna Bisht Rawat has authored the book
titled “Insomnia: Army Stories” featuring stories
based on life in the armed forces.
Note: Rachna Bisht Rawat stated that all the
characters featured in Insomnia are not heroic, the
characters represent ordinary people who have their
own weaknesses and failures. She also stated that
this book speaks more about emotions in various
forms and speaks less about the army.
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12. Barack Hussein Obama has authored the
book titled “A Promised Land”.
Note: In the first of his two-part memoir he speaks
at length about his interest in India, Mahatma
Gandhi’s life and his relationship with former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh whom he calls a man of
“uncommon wisdom and decency.”Mr. Obama says
he had developed a “warm and productive”
relationship with Mr. Singh, describing their
interactions in New Delhi on Mr. Obama’s first visit
there in November 2010.
13. Douglas Stuart is the author of the book titled
‘Shuggie Bain’ that won the 2020 Booker Prize.
Note: Stuart dedicated his book, which was turned
down by 32 publishers before being picked up, to
Science and Defence
1.
1. The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test-fired
an air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile from Sukhoi 30 MKI.
Note: The aircraft took off from an airbase in
Punjab & reached the Bay of Bengal after mid-air
refuelling. The missile successfully hit a sinking ship
in the Bay of Bengal, with deadly accuracy. This test
was the longest range BrahMos strike that was
undertaken by the Sukhoi 30 MKI platform. This
missile was developed by DRDO, the air-launched
version of nuclear-capable BrahMos has a strike
range of 300 km with the capability to hit targets at
sea or land in all weather conditions.
2. Defence Research Development Organization test
fired the advanced version of Pinaka successfully.
Note: This enhanced version of the Pinaka rocket
would replace the existing Pinaka Mk-I rockets.
While Mk-1 had a range of 40 km, the new variant
can hit a target 45 to 60 km away. The design and
development of Pinaka were done by DRDO
laboratories based in Pune, namely Armament
Research and Development Establishment, ARDE
and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory,
HEMRL.
3. CARAT is a joint Naval Exercise conducted
between USA and Bangladesh.
Note: Bangladesh and United States held a joint
Naval Exercise CARAT. CARAT is Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training. The exercise was held at
Chittagong. Historically, the exercise involves
people-to-people interactions, variety of
professional exchanges, community relations
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his mother, who died when he was 16. A former
fashion designer based in New York, Stuart took
home £50,000 as prize money.He also received a
trophy, a designer-bound edition of his book, and a
further £2,500 for being shortlisted for the big
award.
14. Kirpal Singh has authored the book on the life
and ideals of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of
Sikhism and first of its 10 gurus, released by the PM
Narendra Modi.
Note: Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
was also present during the book release. The book
has been penned by Kirpal Singh Ji, who is based in
Chandigarh.
project, Subject Matter Expert exchanges and social
events. Due to COVID-19, the exercise was held
virtually.
4. DRDO has developed fire detection and
suppression system for passenger buses that can
detect fire in buses in less than 30 seconds.
Note: The technology was developed by the Delhi
based Centre for fire explosive and environment
safety of DRDO. The fire detection and suppression
system consist of a water tank of 80 litres of
capacity, network of tubing with 16 atomizers and
6.8 kilograms of Nitrogen cylinder. The system has
an aerosol generator with which the fire suppression
can be achieved within 5 seconds. The system has
been developed as a defence spin off Technology.
5. China has successfully launched the world’s first
6G satellite namely “UESTC” satellite (Star Era-12)”
into orbit with an aim to test communications from
space using high-frequency terahertz (THz)
spectrum.
Note: It was one of the 13 satellites aboard the
Long March-6 rocket, which launched on November
6, 2020 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in
Shanxi province of China. The UESTC is named after
the University of Electronic Science and Technology
of China and will test the performance of the 6G
frequency band in space which is expected to be
over 100 times faster than 5G which is already
expected to be ultra-fast.
6. Indian Navy received the 9th Poseidon 8I
maritime surveillance aircraft from USA at the INS
Hansa, Goa Naval Airbase.
www.gradeup.co
Note: The P-8I Aircraft received on November 18,
2020 is the first of the Four Additional planes
ordered by India after completion of the Initial order
for eight aircrafts. In 2016, India signed a deal of
USD 1.1 Billion with the US for Four Additional P-8I
Aircrafts. The P-8I is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon
used by the US Navy. It is developed and produced
by Boeing Defense, Space & Security (US-based).
7. The trilateral Naval exercise, SITMEX-20 between
India, Singapore and Thailand was held in
Andaman sea.
Note: The SITMEX-20 Naval exercise was scheduled
in a “non-contact at sea only format” due to covid-
19 restrictions. The main objective of the exercise is
to increase the interoperability between the three
navies. The exercise will also enhance multifaceted
Maritime operations.
8. The maritime exercise SIMBEX-20 is joint
exercise between India and Singapore.
Note: The exercise is being conducted between the
countries since 1994. The exercise aims to enhance
mutual inter-operability between the countries. The
Indian Navy ships to participate in the exercise are
destroyer Rana along with Chetak helicopter,
corvettes Kamorta and Karmuk. Also, submarine
Sindhuraj and P81 reconnaissance aircrafts are to
participate in the exercise.
9. For Monitor oceans purpose NASA has launched
the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite
by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Note: The satellite launch was a part of the Mission
Jason Continuity of Service. The mission was
launched to measure the height of the ocean.
Measuring the height of the ocean is one of the key
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components in understanding the climate
change.The spacecraft consists of two components.
The other component of the spacecraft is to be
launched in 2025.
10. The second phase of Exercise Malabar 2020
conducted in Northern Arabian Sea.
Note: The second phase is taking place from 17 to
20 November 2020. It is the 24th edition of the
MALABAR series of maritime exercises. This second
phase involves participation from the US Navy,
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and
the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
11. India successfully test fired the land attack
version of supersonic missile Brahmos.
Note: The range of the missile has been extended
to 400 km from 290 km. Its speed has been
increased to 2.8 Mach which is almost three times
the speed of sound. The missile can be launched
from ships, submarines, aircraft and from land
platforms. Brahmos was a joint venture of DRDO
and Russia. It was developed based on the Russian
P-800 Oniks Cruise missile.
12. Change-5 Lunar Mission has been launched by
China, the first probe in four decades to bring back
rock samples from the moon from its previously
unexplored portions.
Note: Change-5 is the first probe to land on the far
side of the moon.As the rotation and revolution time
period of the moon is same, only one side of the
moon is constantly visible to the earth. The other
side of the moon till date remains unexplored and is
called the far side of the moon. The mission is
named after the Chinese moon goddess.